SUPPORT

FURTHER INFORMATION ON SUPPORTS NEEDED

While brain injury survivors undergo intensive rehabilitation immediately following their injuries, these services come to an end once survivors have made what is deemed to be sufficient progress or once they have reached the end of paid services.

REHABILITATION

Brain injury survivors and their families taking part in a painting session.

Recovery after brain injury can be a slow process, which often takes years. That’s why survivors need opportunities to maintain or increase the gains they made during their post-injury rehabilitation. Without these opportunities, many survivors have reported feeling like they are regressing.

Regular, adapted and customized exercise programs and learning opportunities are key to their continued progress. Some activities that can promote their recovery include:

• Art therapy – participating in art-centered
  activities such as drumming groups and painting classes have been shown to improve
  communication skills and mood, among other
  benefits.

• Walking groups – regular physical activity
  increases the amount of blood sent to the brain,
  which has been linked to improvements in the
  brain’s plasticity (its ability to repair itself after
  injury).
  

• Meditation – mindfulness activities have been
  found to have a positive impact on memory and
  concentration in brain injury survivors.

‘Social Beans’ survivor group meeting for coffee in Regina, SK.

Unfortunately, social isolation is one of the most common effects of brain injury. Many survivors report a loss of relationships they had prior to sustaining their injuries – a result of the cognitive and behavioural changes they experience post-injury.

They also find it difficult to establish new relationships with people who do not have brain injuries as others often have a limited understanding of how the brain injury affects survivors.

Physiological symptoms like light and noise sensitivity among brain injury survivors can also make meeting in public particularly challenging. Adding to the challenge, some survivors develop anxiety and worry about being judged or misunderstood when out in the public sphere.

What survivors need are opportunities to socialize in environments that can accommodate their individual needs and enable them to develop and maintain meaningful relationships. Adapted exercise classes, coffee groups and retreat weekends with survivors and their families are just some of the activities that can have a profound impact on the quality of life of brain injury survivors. “I don’t have to explain myself here,” is often heard at SBIA’s Social Beans groups, “People here get me.”

Did you know that: Brain injury survivors are more than three times more likely to commit suicide than their counterparts without brain injuries?

Brain injury and mental illness often coexist, which is why mental health support for brain injury survivors is so vital.

Some survivors’ mental illnesses can go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed because the effects of the two diagnoses can be similar. Others have to seek separate support for each condition since there is rarely support for the dual diagnosis.

The best option is an integrated approach, where both mental health and brain injury effects are considered and services for both diagnoses are coordinated. This way, survivors can receive more personalized and effective treatments.

The stigma attached to brain injury can interfere with the ability of survivors to improve their quality of life.  People find it difficult to recognize an “invisible disability” like brain injury – some survivors are mistakenly perceived as drunk or are treated like they are children because people do not understand the effects of brain injury.  Regrettably, too many survivors also notice that people now feel uncomfortable around them.

The stigma surrounding brain injury also impacts employment prospects. There are survivors who worry that disclosing their diagnosis may cost them their jobs while others are unable to keep a job because employers do not make accommodations for them.

Further education across all public services is also necessary in order to improve the provision for brain injury survivors. For instance, a 2016 study revealed that people with brain injuries are 2.5 times more likely to go to prison than those without brain injuries, yet many corrections officers are not trained to identify the signs of brain injury and work with survivors accordingly

(Learn more here).

Raising awareness about brain injury is essential so that we can help people to prevent brain injuries, change public perception about ABI, and promote support. Through educational sessions in schools, brochures in local communities, and public events, awareness about brain injury will continue to increase across the nation.