From the Brain Injury Association of the U.S.:
Urge Congress to Increase Funding for TBI Programs!
The Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education begins consideration of the FY10 funding bill today!
Over the next few days, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education will be considering a bill which will provide the funding allocation for programs authorized through the TBI Act and for NIDRR’s TBI-related research programs, including TBI Model Systems of Care.
Federal funding for these important TBI programs has remained stagnant over the last several years, as Congress has not provided increases sufficient to keep up with the increasing cost of doing business. The urgent need for increased federal support for a national TBI public health infrastructure and TBI research is further heightened by the recognition of TBI as the signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Natasha Richardson Details Reviewed
Perhaps no story impacting brain injury has impacted the public’s consciousness more than that of Natasha Richardson. I could write on this from dozens of angles and perhaps will in the coming months. The best news story (as opposed to commentary) on her injury and subsequent death is at the below link on the Global Mail website:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090327.wrichardson0327/BNStory/National/
What is clearer in this piece than in the others is how the life threatening delay in her treatment occurred. This happened because people who should have known better, allowed someone suspected of having a concussion, make the critical errors with respect to her medical care. It is a theme I have echoed since the first days of http://tbilaw.com in 1996. One cannot rely on the memory and/or judgment of someone who has been concussed.
If Natasha had been put in a helicopter when her symptoms started to progress in that first hour after brain injury, odds are she would be alive today. The type of brain injury that killed her is the type we have made the most advances in treating because it is the kind of brain injury for which surgery makes a difference.
When I and my co-author, Becca Martin were writing http://waiting.com in the winter of 1997, we had a dedicated nurse from Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin assisting us, Denise M. Lemke, RN. I asked her what she believed to be the most important advance in medical science to help brain injured, expecting her to say the CT or MRI. What she said then was “the helicopter.” As with Natasha, the flight for life is the true miracle, because it allows doctors to work their magic while there is still a chance to eliminate the true killer, intracranial pressure.
Attorney Gordon Johnson
http://subtlebraininjury.com
http://thelegaltimes.net
http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com
http://vestibulardisorder.com
http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney
g@gordonjohnson.com
800-992-9447
©Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr. 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090327.wrichardson0327/BNStory/National/
What is clearer in this piece than in the others is how the life threatening delay in her treatment occurred. This happened because people who should have known better, allowed someone suspected of having a concussion, make the critical errors with respect to her medical care. It is a theme I have echoed since the first days of http://tbilaw.com in 1996. One cannot rely on the memory and/or judgment of someone who has been concussed.
If Natasha had been put in a helicopter when her symptoms started to progress in that first hour after brain injury, odds are she would be alive today. The type of brain injury that killed her is the type we have made the most advances in treating because it is the kind of brain injury for which surgery makes a difference.
When I and my co-author, Becca Martin were writing http://waiting.com in the winter of 1997, we had a dedicated nurse from Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin assisting us, Denise M. Lemke, RN. I asked her what she believed to be the most important advance in medical science to help brain injured, expecting her to say the CT or MRI. What she said then was “the helicopter.” As with Natasha, the flight for life is the true miracle, because it allows doctors to work their magic while there is still a chance to eliminate the true killer, intracranial pressure.
Attorney Gordon Johnson
http://subtlebraininjury.com
http://thelegaltimes.net
http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com
http://vestibulardisorder.com
http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney
g@gordonjohnson.com
800-992-9447
©Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr. 2009
Letter to waiting.com
Mr. Johnson,
My name is Teri Curington and I am finishing my graduate work this semester at The University of Texas at Tyler’s College of Nursing. I have worked in the field of ER medicine and neurological intensive care, working with patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, among other severe neurological injuries.
The purpose of this email is to request your permission to use some of the information and clip-art photo’s displayed at the website: http://www.waiting.com in a presentation I am going to be conducting in April. This presentation is a course requirement and will not be used for any other purpose.
The ‘Waiting’ website is one of the best I have seen which explains in detain and in plain English, brain injuries. In fact, I have recommened this site to several families whose loved ones have suffered severe head trauma (…and could use a good lawyer)!
Very Respectfully,
TCurington RN, BSN, NC USN
We granted this request and asked that she write us back with a copy of her presentation, which we will post when we receive it.
My name is Teri Curington and I am finishing my graduate work this semester at The University of Texas at Tyler’s College of Nursing. I have worked in the field of ER medicine and neurological intensive care, working with patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, among other severe neurological injuries.
The purpose of this email is to request your permission to use some of the information and clip-art photo’s displayed at the website: http://www.waiting.com in a presentation I am going to be conducting in April. This presentation is a course requirement and will not be used for any other purpose.
The ‘Waiting’ website is one of the best I have seen which explains in detain and in plain English, brain injuries. In fact, I have recommened this site to several families whose loved ones have suffered severe head trauma (…and could use a good lawyer)!
Very Respectfully,
TCurington RN, BSN, NC USN
We granted this request and asked that she write us back with a copy of her presentation, which we will post when we receive it.
BIAA Continues Advocacy As 2008 Winds Down
From the Brain Injury Association of America:
End of The Year Update
More Info
BIAA Continues Advocacy As 2008 Winds Down
As this year comes to a close, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) would like to thank you for your support during 2008 – a year which included many accomplishments in advocacy on behalf of individuals with brain injuries and their families. Chief among these accomplishments, of course, was successful reauthorization of The Traumatic Brain Injury Act!
Yet, as we reflect during this holiday season on the advocacy achievements we are thankful for this year, we also know that much more needs to be done to improve brain injury care and services in this country.
BIAA is uniquely positioned to carry this important message into 2009, and to the incoming Obama Administration, as well to continue its leading advocacy role on Capitol Hill, urging the nation’s lawmakers to adequately address the public health epidemic of brain injury.
Last week, BIAA was invited to meet with members of the Obama Administration transition team to discuss disability and health care policy issues, as well as to share BIAA’s leading public policy priorities. On Tuesday, December 16, BIAA’s President and CEO, Susan Connors, and BIAA’s National Medical Director, Dr. Gregory O’Shanick, represented the organization at this meeting.
They communicated to the members of the Obama team that BIAA’s chief public policy concern centers on improving access to health care for survivors of brain injury. Specifically, Ms. Connors and Dr. O’Shanick described how every day, hundreds – perhaps thousands – of brain injury suvivors are depived of the acute care, rehabilitation, and related services they need to regain maximum function and quality of life after their injury. They further explained that this is largely due to the widespread use of unfair and unjust tactics by health insurers, such as inconsistent pre-admission policies, arbitrary limits on scope and duration of care, outright coverage denials, absurd payment rates, and capricious post-treatment audits. The hope was expressed to the Obama team that any effort to reform the nation’s health care system must address these delays and denials of access to care, as our nation is needlessly increasing permanent disability among people who sustain brain injuries.
Ms. Connors and Dr. O’Shanick also discussed with the Obama team the importance of maintaining and increasing the health and function research portfolio, including the TBI Model Systems of Care program, within the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), as well as the need for TRICARE to officially cover cognitive rehabilitation for returning servicemembers.
As 2009 approaches, BIAA encourages you to visit President-Elect Obama’s webpage on health care reform, and submit yoown comments about how to improve the nation’s health care system to better address the needs of brain injury survivors.
Happy Holidays!
End of The Year Update
More Info
BIAA Continues Advocacy As 2008 Winds Down
As this year comes to a close, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) would like to thank you for your support during 2008 – a year which included many accomplishments in advocacy on behalf of individuals with brain injuries and their families. Chief among these accomplishments, of course, was successful reauthorization of The Traumatic Brain Injury Act!
Yet, as we reflect during this holiday season on the advocacy achievements we are thankful for this year, we also know that much more needs to be done to improve brain injury care and services in this country.
BIAA is uniquely positioned to carry this important message into 2009, and to the incoming Obama Administration, as well to continue its leading advocacy role on Capitol Hill, urging the nation’s lawmakers to adequately address the public health epidemic of brain injury.
Last week, BIAA was invited to meet with members of the Obama Administration transition team to discuss disability and health care policy issues, as well as to share BIAA’s leading public policy priorities. On Tuesday, December 16, BIAA’s President and CEO, Susan Connors, and BIAA’s National Medical Director, Dr. Gregory O’Shanick, represented the organization at this meeting.
They communicated to the members of the Obama team that BIAA’s chief public policy concern centers on improving access to health care for survivors of brain injury. Specifically, Ms. Connors and Dr. O’Shanick described how every day, hundreds – perhaps thousands – of brain injury suvivors are depived of the acute care, rehabilitation, and related services they need to regain maximum function and quality of life after their injury. They further explained that this is largely due to the widespread use of unfair and unjust tactics by health insurers, such as inconsistent pre-admission policies, arbitrary limits on scope and duration of care, outright coverage denials, absurd payment rates, and capricious post-treatment audits. The hope was expressed to the Obama team that any effort to reform the nation’s health care system must address these delays and denials of access to care, as our nation is needlessly increasing permanent disability among people who sustain brain injuries.
Ms. Connors and Dr. O’Shanick also discussed with the Obama team the importance of maintaining and increasing the health and function research portfolio, including the TBI Model Systems of Care program, within the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), as well as the need for TRICARE to officially cover cognitive rehabilitation for returning servicemembers.
As 2009 approaches, BIAA encourages you to visit President-Elect Obama’s webpage on health care reform, and submit yoown comments about how to improve the nation’s health care system to better address the needs of brain injury survivors.
Happy Holidays!
State Brain Injury Associations: Advocacy on the Move
The acknowledgment that brain injury is an important concern has been sparked by stories of soldiers affected by the war in Iraq. But long before 911 or our involvement in Iraq, the United States has been well served by the Brain Injury Association of America in its advocacy for brain injured individuals.
On the state level, state brain injury associations are active in all aspects of brain injury. You can find your state office by visiting http://biausa.org/stateoffices.htm Each year these associations hold state conferences to address the needs and concerns of those in the brain injury field and those affected by brain injury on a personal basis.
In Wisconsin we are represented by BIAW: http://biaw.org/site/
During this year’s conference they are hoping to address a myriad of topics and concerns.
Many have inquired about the possibility of a summer camp for TBI individuals. If you are interested in participating in a summer camp please email Terri Swanson at admin@biaw.org or write to them at BIAW, 21100 W. Capitol Dr. Ste. 5, Pewaukee, WI 53072. They are also looking for input or suggestions on topics or speakers.
In order to increase the number of Certified Brain Injury Specialists in Wisconsin they are contemplating holding a training and examination the day before the conference. This would fulfill the annual 10 hours of in-service training required of service providers.
They are also interested in any input on what program, resource or service needs should be addressed as well as seeking interested survivors, family members and professionals who might be willing to speak during the program.
The 19th Annual Wisconsin Conference on Brain Injury will take place on May 12th and 13th at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in Green Bay, WI. Please check their website for updates on the schedule. http://biaw.org/site/
If brain injury touches your life in any way I strongly urge you to attend your state conferences and to become a member of your state association. It is numbers that make the difference.
On the state level, state brain injury associations are active in all aspects of brain injury. You can find your state office by visiting http://biausa.org/stateoffices.htm Each year these associations hold state conferences to address the needs and concerns of those in the brain injury field and those affected by brain injury on a personal basis.
In Wisconsin we are represented by BIAW: http://biaw.org/site/
During this year’s conference they are hoping to address a myriad of topics and concerns.
Many have inquired about the possibility of a summer camp for TBI individuals. If you are interested in participating in a summer camp please email Terri Swanson at admin@biaw.org or write to them at BIAW, 21100 W. Capitol Dr. Ste. 5, Pewaukee, WI 53072. They are also looking for input or suggestions on topics or speakers.
In order to increase the number of Certified Brain Injury Specialists in Wisconsin they are contemplating holding a training and examination the day before the conference. This would fulfill the annual 10 hours of in-service training required of service providers.
They are also interested in any input on what program, resource or service needs should be addressed as well as seeking interested survivors, family members and professionals who might be willing to speak during the program.
The 19th Annual Wisconsin Conference on Brain Injury will take place on May 12th and 13th at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in Green Bay, WI. Please check their website for updates on the schedule. http://biaw.org/site/
If brain injury touches your life in any way I strongly urge you to attend your state conferences and to become a member of your state association. It is numbers that make the difference.
The hardest part of waiting for someone to emerge from a coma
From someone who felt the need to connect with our http://waiting.com community:
waiting.com began as the merging of two ideas more than 11 years ago. First, provide as much information as possible to those who were actually waiting in a trauma center waiting room. Two, create a virtual connection to those who had gone thru it before, to those who were going thru it now. When it went online in 1997, it was the first time something like it had ever been done online, not just in brain injury, but in any field. To this day, it is the idea for which I am most proud.
Thank you Y Uribe for your contribution. We will soon add it permanently to the Bridge from Despair.
“The hardest part of waiting is the feeling of being alone. No matter how many people surround me, I feel alone. I push people away, don’t feel like talking to anyone, yet I am forced to talk. I feel rudest to those closest to me. Its hard how suddenly your the center of attention and it feels inadequate. I’ve learned that people don’t know what to say to you so they offer their help. They want to do something for you, and you should let them. It is hard as all hell in the beginning, but as you go on, you learn that it will be less of a stress to you. Let your friends in. Support is what you need. Take it when you can get it. Call people, talk to people.”
waiting.com began as the merging of two ideas more than 11 years ago. First, provide as much information as possible to those who were actually waiting in a trauma center waiting room. Two, create a virtual connection to those who had gone thru it before, to those who were going thru it now. When it went online in 1997, it was the first time something like it had ever been done online, not just in brain injury, but in any field. To this day, it is the idea for which I am most proud.
Thank you Y Uribe for your contribution. We will soon add it permanently to the Bridge from Despair.
Vereen hosts fundraiser for $32M brain center
Date: 07/18/2008 05:53 PM
By PEGGY HARRIS
Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ Because of his own injuries, Ben Vereen seems like a natural to highlight a fundraiser for an institute that researches brain damage, but it took an introduction from the woman who walks his dog to make it happen.
Vereen was in Little Rock on Friday to visit hospital patients and raise money for a $32 million center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Psychiatric Research Institute, opening in December, is one of a few centers that offer outpatient and inpatient care, research and education in one setting.
A car crash June 9, 1992, damaged an artery in Vereen’s brain. He suffered a stroke the same day and that night was hit by a sport utility vehicle and thrown 130 feet while walking along the Pacific Coast Highway.
“The doctor said it would be at least three years before I would even walk again,” Vereen said in a telephone interview from New York City before his trip to Arkansas. “They told me that I should start thinking about another career.”
Ten months later the Tony winner was back on Broadway, performing opposite Gregory Hines in “Jelly’s Last Jam” and later performed in “Fosse.”
Now he dedicates much of what he does to others. He said he wants those suffering from brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and mental illness to know he’s with them in their battle to take back their lives.
When the research institute began planning a fundraiser, board member Nell Spears approached Vereen through her daughter Molly, an aspiring dancer and actress in New York. Molly walks dogs to supplement her income.
“And whose dog did she walk? Ben Vereen’s,” said institute spokesman Tim Taylor. The dog is a miniature pinscher named Satchmo.
Dr. G. Richard Smith, the institute’s director and the psychiatric department chairman at UAMS, said Vereen’s high profile and commitment to veterans and servicemen who have suffered brain injuries or post-traumatic stress will help highlight the work of the Psychiatric Research Institute.
“It’s very exciting for PRI,” Smith said. “To have somebody who can champion the causes that we’re after is such an important plus.”
Vereen, 61, said that when he visits hospitals, he tries to offer encouragement as someone who faced the terror of a debilitating injury.
“It was frightening. It was scary. But I had to take a breath and breathe and trust in the higher power within, in the divine within me,” he said. “My job as a wounded warrior of life was to receive and to show up for those blessings to take place. I couldn’t just lay there (and say) ‘the blessing’s going to come, the blessing’s going to come.’ The blessings are coming, but you’ve got to get up to receive them.”
At the John L. McClellan Veterans Hospital on Friday, Vereen laughed and compared surgery scars with Vietnam veteran Tom Sziszak. The Navy vet was nearly killed in February when he was run over by an 18-wheeler. The two men shared a friendly conversation, Vereen perched on the end of a table and Sziszak in a wheelchair.
When Sziszak said the doctors considered amputating a limb, Vereen said softly, “Let’s cancel that. Let’s cancel that,” as if to brush away anything negative.
As he visited with patients, Vereen stopped often to accommodate fans for autographs and cheerful conversation.
Vereen scheduled a benefit performance — tickets cost $250 to $1,000 — that includes “a little bit of Broadway, a little bit of contemporary.”
His career includes the Broadway hits “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” He won his Tony in 1973 as best actor in a musical for the show “Pippin.” His 1978 network special, “Ben Vereen: His Roots,” won six Emmys.
He appeared in the movie “All That Jazz.” But he may be best known for his portrayal of Chicken George in the 1977 TV miniseries “Roots.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By PEGGY HARRIS
Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ Because of his own injuries, Ben Vereen seems like a natural to highlight a fundraiser for an institute that researches brain damage, but it took an introduction from the woman who walks his dog to make it happen.
Vereen was in Little Rock on Friday to visit hospital patients and raise money for a $32 million center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Psychiatric Research Institute, opening in December, is one of a few centers that offer outpatient and inpatient care, research and education in one setting.
A car crash June 9, 1992, damaged an artery in Vereen’s brain. He suffered a stroke the same day and that night was hit by a sport utility vehicle and thrown 130 feet while walking along the Pacific Coast Highway.
“The doctor said it would be at least three years before I would even walk again,” Vereen said in a telephone interview from New York City before his trip to Arkansas. “They told me that I should start thinking about another career.”
Ten months later the Tony winner was back on Broadway, performing opposite Gregory Hines in “Jelly’s Last Jam” and later performed in “Fosse.”
Now he dedicates much of what he does to others. He said he wants those suffering from brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and mental illness to know he’s with them in their battle to take back their lives.
When the research institute began planning a fundraiser, board member Nell Spears approached Vereen through her daughter Molly, an aspiring dancer and actress in New York. Molly walks dogs to supplement her income.
“And whose dog did she walk? Ben Vereen’s,” said institute spokesman Tim Taylor. The dog is a miniature pinscher named Satchmo.
Dr. G. Richard Smith, the institute’s director and the psychiatric department chairman at UAMS, said Vereen’s high profile and commitment to veterans and servicemen who have suffered brain injuries or post-traumatic stress will help highlight the work of the Psychiatric Research Institute.
“It’s very exciting for PRI,” Smith said. “To have somebody who can champion the causes that we’re after is such an important plus.”
Vereen, 61, said that when he visits hospitals, he tries to offer encouragement as someone who faced the terror of a debilitating injury.
“It was frightening. It was scary. But I had to take a breath and breathe and trust in the higher power within, in the divine within me,” he said. “My job as a wounded warrior of life was to receive and to show up for those blessings to take place. I couldn’t just lay there (and say) ‘the blessing’s going to come, the blessing’s going to come.’ The blessings are coming, but you’ve got to get up to receive them.”
At the John L. McClellan Veterans Hospital on Friday, Vereen laughed and compared surgery scars with Vietnam veteran Tom Sziszak. The Navy vet was nearly killed in February when he was run over by an 18-wheeler. The two men shared a friendly conversation, Vereen perched on the end of a table and Sziszak in a wheelchair.
When Sziszak said the doctors considered amputating a limb, Vereen said softly, “Let’s cancel that. Let’s cancel that,” as if to brush away anything negative.
As he visited with patients, Vereen stopped often to accommodate fans for autographs and cheerful conversation.
Vereen scheduled a benefit performance — tickets cost $250 to $1,000 — that includes “a little bit of Broadway, a little bit of contemporary.”
His career includes the Broadway hits “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” He won his Tony in 1973 as best actor in a musical for the show “Pippin.” His 1978 network special, “Ben Vereen: His Roots,” won six Emmys.
He appeared in the movie “All That Jazz.” But he may be best known for his portrayal of Chicken George in the 1977 TV miniseries “Roots.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
NFL, War and Brain Injury, Part II
Yesterday I commented on the intersection of news about Iraq War veterans and the death of an NFL player. Today, we focus more on the synergistic effect of the interplay between brain injury and emotional problems.
It was reported in the April 19, 2008 edition of the Science Daily that one in five Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression. In addition, 19% are reported to be suffering from the effects of brain injury.
Click here for the complete story: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417112102.htm
According to this article:
Combat involves a synergistic (as defined yesterday) exposure to screwing up what makes the brain work. Not only are enemy attacks particularly bad for the organic matter inside the brain, but the constant vigilance and stress that which can occur, can create a more vulnerable brain to an “organic” injury. Prevalent throughout almost all neuropsychological literature is the challenge to distinguish between actual physical injury to brain tissue (organic injury) and the effect of emotional responses on the brain. There is no shortage of areas that the allocated research funds could be directed. Still, we believe that focusing on the synergistic effect and the vulnerabilities to injury of someone exposed to the stress of combat, should be near the forefront of priorities.
It was reported in the April 19, 2008 edition of the Science Daily that one in five Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression. In addition, 19% are reported to be suffering from the effects of brain injury.
Click here for the complete story: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417112102.htm
According to this article:
Researchers surveyed 1,965 service members from 24 communities across the country to assess their exposure to traumatic events and possible brain injury while deployed, evaluate current symptoms of psychological illness, and gauge whether they have received care for combat-related problems.The article said:
“There is a major health crisis facing those men and women who have served our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Terri Tanielian, the project’s co-leader and a researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. “Unless they receive appropriate and effective care for these mental health conditions, there will be long-term consequences for them and for the nation. Unfortunately, we found there are many barriers preventing them from getting the high-quality treatment they need.”Odds are that they will get this attention. The recent federal funding has allocated large sums of money for TBI research and treatment from these two wars. Still, these numbers, if they are to be believed (i.e.,19% with TBI) mean that there are considerably more veterans involved the 20,000 or so that have been involved in recent studies. A 19% figure could push the number of vets with post concussional syndrome well into the hundreds of thousands. That would make even a half of billion dollars, seem inadequate.
Combat involves a synergistic (as defined yesterday) exposure to screwing up what makes the brain work. Not only are enemy attacks particularly bad for the organic matter inside the brain, but the constant vigilance and stress that which can occur, can create a more vulnerable brain to an “organic” injury. Prevalent throughout almost all neuropsychological literature is the challenge to distinguish between actual physical injury to brain tissue (organic injury) and the effect of emotional responses on the brain. There is no shortage of areas that the allocated research funds could be directed. Still, we believe that focusing on the synergistic effect and the vulnerabilities to injury of someone exposed to the stress of combat, should be near the forefront of priorities.
Wounded Troops and Partners: Supporting Intimate Relationships.
From the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin:
Dear Members and Donors:
Dear Members and Donors:
Intimacy, sexuality, empathy are among the areas that brain injured survivors have some of their most significant problems. Lower frontal lobe damage is likely to contribute to these problems. Vets have the additional issues stemming from the overlay of combat related emotional issues.
The following conference offering was sent to us from the BIAA. We are forwarding to you for your information.
The Center of Excellence for Sexual Health invites you to join elected officials, public and private agency leaders, healthcare professionals, members of the armed services, veterans, and concerned civilians for a one-day conference, Wounded Troops and Partners: Supporting Intimate Relationships.
This conference seeks to:You will hear first person experiences and receive briefings from leading experts on:
- Create visibility for the linkage of mental and physical disabilities like PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and serious burns with failed intimate relationships that contribute to higher suicide rates, divorce, and other problems
- Strengthen specific initiatives around intimate relationships for person with service-related disabilities
- Develop and expand enduring networks of people to serve these populations
- This is your opportunity to contribute to a national dialogue on how U.S. agencies, healthcare providers, and communities can help wounded troops and their partners develop and maintain healthy intimate relationships.
Featured speakers include Bob Dole, Dr. David Satcher, Dr. Richard Carmona, Dr. Margaret Giannini and Lee Woodruff.
- How healthy intimate relationships contribute to recovery from physical and mental trauma
- How lack of a satisfying intimate relationship contributes to ongoing mental health problems and suicide
- The special challenges and concerns of wounded women warriors
- How intimate relationships help wounded spirits heal
- The specific sexual health concerns of troops with disabilities
- How addressing sexual health concerns strengthens marriages and other committed relationships
Participate and send a strong message about the importance of wounded troops and their partners having access to the healthcare, counseling and resources
that they need to sustain intimate relationships that provide support and promote healing.
Please visit our conference website http://www.msm.edu/Centers_&_Institutes/CESH/Programs_&_Initiatives/Disabilities/Wounded_Troops_and_Partners/Wounded_Troops_&_Partners_Home.htm or contact our office for more information. There is no charge for registration. Lunch will be provided.
When
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Eastern Time Zone
Where
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Barbara Jordan Conference Center
1330 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
We would encourage not only Vets and their loved ones to attend this conference, but anyone affected by brain injury.
TBI Survivor Uses Internet to Assist with Brain Injury Disability – Part II
Yesterday, a former client of mine, began this two part series on how to use the internet to help connect with those who were willing to assist her in accommodating her disability. Today, she addresses the question she ended yesterday’s blog with:
What do I do so that my friends and neighbors don’t begin to dread getting emails from me? What can I do to make them fun, interesting and maybe even enjoyable?One of the strengths that Cindy has maintained, is an immense creative capacity and the ability to express herself on the challenges she faces in daily life. And she spells a lot better than I do.
A thought came to me the day before a neighbor came over to help me clean up one of my flowerbeds. This particular flowerbed had been overrun with mint. I love mint, but the flowerbed is too far away for me to easily access it. Last year, I started a container garden to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. This year, I decided to expand by adding herbs and vegetables in some containers.
Since I was going to plant some of this mint in containers, I thought maybe some of my friends and neighbors might like to do the same. As we pulled up the mint, I cut them into individual plants which could be planted. My neighbor helped me take pictures of the process showing how to plant mint into a container.
Now I had something I could offer to my friends and neighbors. In addition to my “How to Plant Mint in a Container,” I also put together a few mint recipes. I sent out an email providing information, recipes, and the offer of mint plants to either plant or use in recipes. Last year, I took pictures of my container garden, including the caterpillar nursery filled with parsley, dill, and yes, even little caterpillars.
Hopefully, by doing things like this, I’m hoping that people want to spend time with me because I’m still interesting, not because they pity me. It’s been a fascinating challenge, and so far, this seems to be working. Some tell me they enjoy seeing my pictures and hearing about my experiments.
When I told one of my friends that I wanted to try growing pole beans on bamboo poles lashed together in a teepee fashion, she told me to let her know when I wanted to do it. Her 2 sons who are boy scouts learned how to lash things together and would be happy to practice how well they can use their skills in a practical application. In fact, she told me they have a saying with regards to the art of lashing: “If your frap is crap, your lash will be trash.” (Now I have something else interesting to learn….what the heck is a frap??? I’m not even sure I’ve spelled it correctly.)
My psychiatrist thinks I have come upon a great idea that may benefit not only people with handicaps, but also the elderly and others who need assistance and feel socially isolated. I know I am lucky to have retained many strengths from which to build upon. I know others might not feel as capable. But perhaps there are family members or friends who can initiate or facilitate these kinds of ideas, so that their loved one and the caretaker both have a larger support system. These are services which are greatly needed, but seldom provided. So, for now, we have to learn to think out of the box.
Cindy from Cinci