NBIF Holiday Party 2012

Click here to see all photos from the party

Dance

Rhythms of Hope is led by Dr. Marianne Talbot and is based in the Washington DC area. Through the use of dance, Dr. Talbot works with survivors of traumatic brain injuries to make new connections in their brain and aid in the road to recovery.

Traumatic Brain Injury Drug Exceeds Expectations In Phase IIa Exploratory Clinical Trial

Vasopharm GmbH, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cerebro- and cardiovascular diseases, today announces that the explorative phase IIa NOSTRA trial in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients met all clinical endpoints for safety and in addition demonstrated strong evidence of clinical benefit in patients. 
Read more...

Figuring Out Social Security Benefits After a TBI

Filing for Social Security disability benefits is a long and tedious process. It is important to gather all your records and set aside sufficient time to complete the application. Never submit a partially completed application and always seek assistance if you are having difficulty collecting the required paper work or filling out the application.

This article is very helpful - CLICK HERE

Thank You Jonathan

Thank you so much from the NBIFoundation. You were awesome! It was absolutely wonderful to see the NBIF members singing along and dancing. We would love for you to come back soon.

Flu medicine may help traumatic brain injury patients

An old medicine approved for a different ailment is bringing new hope to traumatic brain injury patients.

Caused by car crashes, falls, or assaults, every year 1.7 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury. Now, something approved decades ago for a much different ailment is helping speed recovery for some. 

Click here to read more ---> Flu medicine may help traumatic brain injury patients

Helping Children Cope with Head Injury in the Family

Key points

• Children, like adults, are affected emotionally when a close relative, especially a parent, is head injured.
• They need honest age-appropriate information to help them understand head injury, and an opportunity to express feelings and concerns. Sometimes counselling may be necessary.
• Children (of all ages) can feel that they are to blame for the injury and need to be reassured about this.
• There is a link between the ways that children and adults cope with stressful events. It helps if adults can model positive coping strategies for the younger members of the family.
• Head injury services do not routinely offer support to children, so adults need to be proactive about asking for help.

Click Here to read entire chapter. Very good information.

Joel Goldstein, author of "No Stone Unturned", a book describing the long treatment cycle of his son, Bart Goldstein, after a serious car accident caused traumatic brain injury. Anyone who has had a loved one suffer a TBI, (over 6 million people in the US have had TBIs including over 320,000 veterans of Iraq and Afganistan) will find Joel's discussion both educational and inspiring.

Functions of the Brain

Parietal Lobe Functions Sense of touch Spatial perception Differentiation (identification) of size, shapes, and colors Visual perception  Occipital Lobe Functions Vision Cerebellum Lobe Functions Balance Skilled motor activity  Coordination Visual perception  Brain Stem Functions Breathing Arousal and consciousness Attention and concentration  Heart rate Sleep and wake cycles

Frontal Lobe Functions Attention and concentration Self-monitoring Organization Speaking (expressive language) Motor planning and initiation Awareness of abilities and limitations Personality Mental flexibility Inhibition of behavior Emotions Problem solving  Planning and anticipation Judgment   Temporal Lobe Functions Memory Understanding language (receptive language) Sequencing  Hearing Organization

 Click to enlarge or visit http://www.facebook.com/BrainInjuryFoundation

             
               

2012 NBIF Golf Tourney

2nd Annual Golf Outing
To benefit the individuals of the NBIF social group
Wednesday July 18th, 2012
Click Here for details 
Join Us ~ Let's Have a Ball!

Documentary film 'Head Games' focuses on brain trauma

Head Games is a revealing documentary about the concussion crisis in sports. Athletes and parents share their personal struggles in dealing with concussions from the professional to youth levels. From acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters) and award-winning producer Bruce Sheridan, Head Games takes a deeper look at the devastating and long-term effects of concussions in all sports. http://headgamesthefilm.com/

Watch the trailer...

Brain Injury Association of America Upcoming Webinars

Upcoming Strauss Memorial Lecture

Monday, June 11, 2012, at 3 p.m. ET:

Use of Amantadine in Severe TBI

Joseph Giacino, PhD, John Whyte, MD, PhD, and Emilia Bagiella, PhD

Strauss Memorial Lecture 

ACBIS Certificant Registration Price: $50

Non-Certificant Registration Price: $55

Continuing Education awarded: 1 hour

Registration closes at 5 p.m. ET on June 7. 

Click here to register. Information on how to join the webinar will be sent to registrants on June 8.  

Upcoming Caregiver Webinars:

Wednesday June 20, 2012 at 3 p.m. ET

Rehabilitation of Communication Skills after Brain Injury 

Constance Dean Qualls, PhD

Caregiver Education Series 

Dr. Qualls will discuss effective strategies and tips to help improve communication skills after a brain injury.

Registration Price:  $30

Continuing Education awarded: 1 hour

Registration closes at 5 p.m. ET on June 18.  Click here to register for the webinar.  Information on how to join the webinar will be sent to registrants on June 19.

Thursday, July 19, 2012, at 3 p.m. ET:

Get Things Done & Have Some Fun with Smart Devices

Michelle Ranae Wild, MA

Caregiver's Education Series

Ms. Wild will discuss apps available on smart devices to assist with organization and memory, as well as other games available to help with cognitive skills.

Registration Price: $30

Continuing Education awarded: 1 hour

Registration closes at 5 p.m. ET on July 17.

Click here to register. Information on how to join the webinar will be sent to registrants on July 18.

Wednesday November 14, 2012

Using Computers to Assist with Cognitive Rehabilitation  Dr. Gerald Voelbel will discuss Cognitive Rehabilitation, which is a continuing area of interest and research in brain injury rehabilitation.  This webinar will offer an overview of the best practices in cognitive rehabilitation, and how computer based training programs can help cognitive recovery after brain injury. Participants of this webinar will learn:

1. Principles of Cognitive Rehabilitation
2. Overview of the current best practices of cognitive rehabilitation

3. Evidence of computerized training programs for cognitive rehabilitation 

Registration Price: $30

Continuing Education awarded: 1 hour

Registration closes at 5 p.m. ET on November 12.

Click here to register.  Information on how to join the webinar will be sent to registrants on November 13, 2012.

Songs may hold key for injured brains

Music can help patients with severe traumatic brain injury unlock memories from their past, a new study has shown. In a case presented at the World Congress for Neurorehabilitation in Melbourne this week, clinical neuropsychologist Aimee Baird played 50 songs to a patient who suffered a brain injury in a motorbike accident in 2010. "I played him the No.1 song-of-the-year from when he was 10 to 60, to see if the songs could help bring to mind personal memories associated with the music," Dr Baird said.  Read More

Spring issue of THE Challenge Focuses on Community Resources

The spring issue of BIAA's quarterly publication, THE Challenge!, is ready for download. Check out the many wonderful articles about community resources, including Dr. Janet Williams' cover story on transitioning to community life after a brain injury. Cindy Daniels provides helpful tips on how to prepare for an emergency. BIAA spring intern, Meg Woodbury, interviewed members of BIAA's Alumni Council for their tips and suggestions for reintegration following a brain injury. And you can read all about BIAA's new board members. Click here to download the spring issue, and click here to see all of the past issues of THE Challenge! going back to 2008.

NBIF @ The Oneida County Historical Society

Thank you to Brian J. Howard, Oneida County Historical Society, for the speech on OCHS's history and Oneida County in general. We all enjoyed it, along with the tour of museum exhibits. We were left with a fresh perspective on Oneida County. Great place to visit and learn! More photos --> Click Here

NBIF at Proctor Park for a guided history hike

Great time, great people! Big thank you to the Oneida County Historical Society for helping us prep for this one. Everyone loved the old photographs and facts provided.

Click here to see more photos

Woodruff's struggle 6 years on...

It's been six years, and sometimes Bob Woodruff's brain still doesn't allow him to find the words.

The famed ABC broadcaster — the one-time anchor who was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2006 — recently broadcast live from the John Edwards trial.

Appearing on “Good Morning America,” he stood outside the courthouse, looked into the camera and tried to say that one of the trial's witnesses “went in and testified.”

Instead he said this: “He went in and terrified.”

Such are the dangers of going on live TV while still recovering from a severe brain injury that affects memory and word recognition.  Click here to read more

TBI Information - very comprehensive, excellent resource.

The consumer materials listed below were produced through a collaboration between the MSKTC and the TBI Model Systems. This health information is based on research evidence and/or professional consensus and has been reviewed and approved by an editorial team of experts from the TBI Model Systems.

Click on the topics below to learn more...

Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury: Four Part Series
Sleep and TBI
Driving after TBI
Cognitive Problems after TBI
Emotional Problems after TBI
Fatigue and TBI
Seizures after TBI
Returning to School After TBI
Facts about the Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States after Severe Brain Injury
Headaches after TBI
TBI and Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation
Depression after TBI
Balance Problems after TBI
Sexuality after TBI
Alcohol Use After Traumatic Brain Injury

Interpreting the behavior of someone with TBI can be like trying to interpret the words of someone speaking a foreign language. Learn more

The Butterfly Express

This is the spirited campaign of a brain injury survivor and single mom; to give a voice to brain injury, and share her testimony of God's amazing grace along the way. Kimberly Carnevale, her daughter and dogs are hitting the road in their RV to film a documentary about "Doing Life with Brain Injury," and perform their award-winning motivational programs via their canine ministry. Follow their year-long journey and see what life is really like LIVING with brain injury. http://www.thebutterflyexpress.com/

From NBIF to David L. Brown

April 2, 2012

David L. Brown
David L. Brown Productions
274 Santa Clara St.
Brisbane, CA 94005

Dear David,

Thanks so much for allowing the National Brain Injury Foundation (NBIF) to screen your film “Going the Distance: Journeys of Recovery” at the Uptown Theater in Utica last Saturday. I’m delighted to report that it was a huge hit: the audience loved it. Several TBI survivors mentioned that this is the first time they have seen their own story told in a film. Many expressed how moved and inspired they were by your survivors’ stories, their courage and determination as well as the family love and other support they received. Many also expressed admiration for how engaging and well-made the film is as a whole.

Members of NBIF discussed how important it is that you remind audiences how relatively fortunate your TBI survivors are. But it is equally important to show such inspirational portraits of survivors with the ingredients of a successful recovery from brain injury. Your beautiful and hopeful documentary will be a tremendous resource for all of us working to raise awareness of TBI. Thanks, again, for the opportunity to screen it and we hope that many of our attendees will make tax-deductible donations to your completion.

Warm regards,
Lisa Marie Jones