April 24, 2006, 11:16 am

Brain Injury in the Bluegrass State

This past week, I attended the Brain Injury Summit in Lexington, KY, sponsored by the Brain Injury Association of Kentucky. The keynote speaker, Dr. Carlton Cash, provided a very human, candid perspective on what it means to be a professional and a brain injury survivor. Despite serious physical impairments, Dr. Cash continues to make remarkable gains, as both a doctor and a survivor.

While at the conference, I had the pleasure of meeting professionals with Our Lady of Peace, a psychiatric hospital in Louisville, which has a brain injury neurobehavioral program for ages 10-18. It’s one of the few state resources equipped to handle the needs of young TBI survivors.

The problem of pediatric TBI is a significant one. TBI is the leading cause of death for children and young adults–in fact, one million American children will sustain a head injury this year, and of those, 165,000 will be hospitalized. With such a gross inadequacy of brain injury beds for children, we can only assume that their predicament is just as dire as that of adults–if not moreso.

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April 18, 2006, 1:34 pm

Kentucky's Next on the Menu

This week, I’ll be travelling to Lexington for the Annual Brain Injury Summit, sponsored by the Brain Injury Association of Kentucky. I’m particularly looking forward to the talk by Dr. Carlton Cash–a doctor and a brain injury survivor.

TBI caretakers struggle with a tremendous amount of confusion and stress because TBI care requires so much knowledge and determination. That’s why I always encourage family members and professionals to attend their state’s brain injury association meetings, and if they don’t have any, to attend a neighboring state’s conference. Their informative and inspirational. As a TBI professional, I think they’re imperative. I always walk away from a conference re-energized and excited about new possibilities.

For a list of brain injury conferences near you, check out the BIA’s list of state chapters here.

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April 13, 2006, 8:47 am

The Spirituality of Brain Injury

Due to the fundamental nature of its reach, traumatic brain injury is a unique type of injury that encourages individuals to explore their own life in deeper ways. Here are some resources for those family members and survivors interested in current spirituality issues in TBI:

Patrick Jones is a TBI survivor who has built an inspiring website based on his unique perspective: braininjurychaplain.com. His writings and activism are a continual gift of encouragement.

The Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience explores the cutting edge of brain research through an ancient technique: meditation. Studies suggest that TBI survivors may do well to sit still and observe their brain’s processes.

Another research paper in support of meditation.

UMass’ Center for Mindfulness is a pioneering program that explores all issues regarding the effects of spirituality in healthcare.

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