March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

The month of March has been designated as Brain Injury Awareness Month. One purpose of this special time is to increase awareness of how to prevent traumatic brain injury (TBI). Another purpose is to promote strategies which can improve the quality of life for persons living with TBI and their families.

TBIs are damage to the nerve tissue in the brain. They are caused by an impact or force to the head or body, or by a penetrating injury to the head. They are a major cause of death and disability in the US each year.

If the person with the head injury survives they may recover quickly or they may face effects that can last the remainder of their lives. They may have impaired movement, damaged vision, hearing or speech, problems with cognition and memory, or personality changes or depression. These issues will affect their family members as well as the person with the TBI.

Falls can cause TBIs and other serious injuries, and are a common concern among the elderly. Falls are the second leading cause of TBI-related deaths. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has created the STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries) program with materials for older persons to explain how to help prevent falls and decrease fall risks.

On Thursday, March 25, at 1pm SLT (Pacific time), Namaara MacMoragh of the Brain Energy Support Team will present on brain injury recovery and daily life in the Meeting Room on Healthinfo Island. You are welcome to join us for this session in Second Life here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/206/73/22.

You may also want to visit the Healthinfo Island poster exhibit “Brain Injury Awareness Month” here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/99/37/26.

For more information on brain injuries, including school sports concussions, please see: https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/basics/index.html.