Veteran-Founded Business Leimkuehler, Inc. Customizes Care, Offers Support

Memorial Day is a time when we stop to reflect on the sacrifice so many thousands upon thousands have made to fight for our country. Some of these brave soldiers suffered severe injury, including lost limbs, during wartime, and they return with a need for compassionate and thoughtful care to support them in returning to life back home. Whether you or a loved one lost a limb in wartime or through another injury or illness, Leimkuehler, Inc. offers the highest quality prosthetics and orthotics to all who need them. Jim Leimkuehler sat down with us to tell us a bit more about his family's business.

"Leimkuehler, Inc. was started by my grandfather, Paul Leimkuehler, in 1948," Jim said. "He came back from World War II as an amputee. He lost his leg above the knee in the Battle of the Bulge. ... Then he was at Walter Reed Medical Center and there were a lot of amputees at that time, so he helped out making his prosthesis, his artificial leg. When he got back to Cleveland, he bought an existing prosthetic business and started Leimkuehler, Inc. ... My father and uncles [later] bought the business, and we're still at the building in Cleveland where my grandfather moved [the company] in the late '60s. My brother and mother and father and I all work in the business and we have three offices: Cleveland, Lyndhurst and North Royalton."

Custom Prosthetics

The process for being fitted with prosthetics begins with the client and their personal doctor. The doctor will typically write a fairly open-ended prescription citing the location where a prosthetic device is needed, and then the Leimkuehler, Inc. certified specialists will custom create an appropriate device for the client. To do this, they first get to know the client's needs and goals.

"Everybody is different," Jim shared. "Everybody's unique, especially with an amputation. There [are] no two residual limbs that are the same. First of all, we look at their activity level before the amputation and their motivation and what they want to accomplish with the device. ... [Next] the practitioner will take a cast of their residual limb just like you'd put a fiberglass cast on a broken arm, but then they pull that off and ... pour it with plaster and use it as a model to then have an exact copy of the patient's residual limb." From there, the Leimkuehler, Inc. specialists craft a unique item for the client, taking into account logistics regarding balance and weight bearing to create a device that suits the client's needs.

Depending on how active the client used to be prior to the amputation, the team will "They select components based on talking with the patient, what they want this device to be capable of and what the patient was capable of before. And then they'll pick out the foot, the knee, [or whatever body part is needed] based on those requirements."

A Network of Support

Dealing with an amputation and adjusting to life with a prosthetic is an ongoing process. That's why the team at Leimkuehler, Inc. connects their customers with others who are navigating similar circumstances. It can help people, to have faith in their own process, to see what others have been able to accomplish with prosthetics. "If we have a patient that ... isn't sure what their potential [with the device] might be, we have kind of a peer network. We have some current patients and patients from the past that are willing to meet with a new patient or even a prospective patient. ... We facilitate that meeting. We say, 'Here's a phone number of somebody that is a current amputee that could speak with you about what your options and possibilities are in terms of the device and just everyday function.'"

"It's huge for a new amputee to speak with an existing amputee that can just reassure them that, if you're motivated enough, you'll be able to get right back to your life," Jim went on. "With some modifications, but you're able to do just about anything. And to that point, we have a supplier partner that has a basketball team, an all-amputee standup basketball team. They came out and played Baldwin Wallace just as a demonstration to show people what's possible. ... It's really neat to see these guys that are able to play standup basketball against college basketball players that are able bodied, and they were very competitive, so the sky's really the limit."

That said, the Leimkuehler, Inc. team also makes sure to match people appropriately with peers who have similar interests and/or activity levels. "We try to match up people that are going to be at a similar function level," said Jim, "because sometimes that can be overwhelming for somebody that's a new amputee to speak to a standup basketball player that's an amputee. We have a wide enough resource group base that we can match people up appropriately, and that does go a long way."

A Variety of Products and Resources

If you or a loved one has any needs in the realm of prosthetics or orthotics, Leimkuehler, Inc. has an amazing array of choices for those who are exploring their options. Consult with your doctor to determine what prescription would best suit your needs, then get in touch with local experts Leimkuehler, Inc. to create a lasting relationship with a company that truly cares about its customers.

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Here at HandyPro, we make your well-being our priority. Our interview series goes hand-in-hand with that effort, and we hope you find it helpful! For more information on how we can help you make your home a home for life, visit us at www.StayAtHomeModificationsINC.com or call me (Brian Pritchard) at 216-212-7531.

If you’d like to learn more about Leimkuehler, Inc., you can find them on the web at www.LeimkuehlerInc.com or reach them by phone at 216-651-7788.
 

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