Participants Needed for BC Caregiver Study
Mother’s Metamorphosis by Debra Erickson
We will take a moment this month to wish Happy Mother’s Day to the person who fills that role in our lives. It is a role that is always changing. We find ourselves flexing and stretching through the years to straddle the demands of home and work. Throw a Traumatic Brain Injury into the mix and all bets are off!
Music and Guitar aid in Brain Injury Survivor’s Recovery
Allan Boss, a CBC radio producer living in Alberta, credits music and guitar playing to aiding in his recovery following a brain injury.
Music has been found to have a variety of beneficial effects on brain injury recovery in several ways, including emotional and psychological support, cognitive stimulation, motor rehabilitation, speech and language recovery, mood enhancement and stress reduction, and social interaction and engagement.
Boss also credits ‘resilience and grit’ for his recovery. He states “I’m sure that music and guitar were a big part of why my brain healed as well as it did. As I’ve learned, music enhances neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt and change due to training and experience. […]
Survive Strive Thrive 2022
The 8th Annual Survive Strive Thrive Conference is open for Registration.
The Road Ahead: Next Exit Hope! For Ages 5 and Up.
Little ones thrive on structure and routine. They also need fun, joy, mud puddles, and life to be carefree. When a parent or sibling, or a loved one sustain a brain injury those carefree days disappear – in an instant.
Children as young as five years of age are aware of significant changes at home. They may not understand or be able to put into words how they feel, what they are afraid of, or even know what to ask, but they too, will be impacted by a brain injury in the family. It impacts everyone.
Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association (FVBIA) intends for the booklet The Road Ahead: Next Exit Hope! For Ages 5 and Up to help families […]
The Road Ahead: Next Exit Hope! For Ages 11 and Up.
Preteens, teens, young adults are navigating a new path for themselves. These tender years are fraught with pressures in school, post secondary education, career options and more. It’s a lot. Add into the mix the sudden changes from a parent, sibling, or loved one sustaining a brain injury and their world is completely turned upside down.
What is a brain injury and how will it impact my loved one? These are prominent questions. What does it mean for me and how do I fit into this new life with them? These are the questions that are asked in silence.
Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association (FVBIA) intends for the booklet The Road Ahead: Next Exit Hope! For Ages 11 and […]
FVBIA Employers Guide to ABI 2022
The Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association (FVBIA) have recently developed some important resources.
The Employers Guide to ABI 2022 aims to support employers who are not familiar with an acquired brain injury. Returning to meaningful activity, including employment when possible, is a central goal for many individuals who have sustained an acquired brain injury. Having purpose, connections, and being able to contribute to one’s community is important for everyone, especially for those folks who are working to redesign their life.
FVBIA’s Employers Guide to ABI provides valuable information on how the brain is impacted and some simple tips on how to assist employees with ABI to be successful in the workplace.
Additional Resources:
Virtual Caregivers Support Group
When a person suffers from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), their loved ones are catapulted into the caregiver role to support and look after their injured family member. Relationships, responsibilities, and roles shift suddenly, which can be confusing and overwhelming for the non-injured caregiver.
Chuck Jung Associates and Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association will be launching a Virtual Caregivers Support Group in March of 2022. From March to August of 2022, the group will meet monthly for 90-minutes to engage in discussions to provide important information and teach skills that will help caregivers negotiate and manage a new role in their life. These groups are free of charge.
WHAT? Monthly Caregiver Support Group
WHERE? Virtual
WHEN? 6-Monthly […]
Brain Injury Adjustment & Mental Health
Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association (FVBIA) is offering two free virtual sessions aimed at the South Asian Community to provide the most current information on brain injury adjustment and mental health.
Brain Injury Adjustment & Mental Health
Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association (FVBIA) is offering two free virtual sessions aimed at the South Asian Community to provide the most current information on brain injury adjustment and mental health.
Bi-Monthly Circle Ups via Zoom
Brain injury survivor and mindfulness teacher Jessie Smith is offering free bi-monthly Circle-Ups.
BC Brain Injury Association Celebrates 40 Years of Service
The BC Brain Injury Association (BCBIA) Celebrates 40 Years of Service & Forms a Strategic Alliance with the CGB Centre for Traumatic Life Losses
Brainstreams.ca is the official website of the BC Brain Injury Association (BCBIA). We are excited to announce fourty years of service in British Columbia. BCBIA was founded in 1982 and incorporated in 1983.
Throughout the years, BCBIA has been the voice of the brain injury community, evolving from providing direct services to joining forces with the Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference Society (PCBICS) in 2012, to becoming the provincial resource for online education and networking through Brainstreams.ca.
BCBIA is evolving again. We have formalized a Strategic Alliance with the Constable Gerald Breese Centre for Traumatic Life Losses (CGB) under the leadership […]
Free Seminar for Professionals Who Care for Brain Injury Survivors
Free seminar for professionals who care for brain injury survivors.
Cultivating Community is Cultivating Kindness
What is this video about?
Cultivating Kindness is the story behind Opportunity Landing, a non-profit society dedicated to developing and maintaining a space for inclusive, accessible community gardens in Langley BC.
Juliet Henderson-Rahbar, is a board member of the BC Brain Injury Association, and the Leader for Connect Communities in Langley—a place where people who’ve survived a life-altering brain injury can begin to redesign their lives in the community. Earlier this year, Juliet came across an article on Opportunity landing in the Langley Advance Times https://www.langleyadvancetimes.com/news/new-langley-community-garden-gets-test-run-this-spring-at-twu/.
After seeing the design and the nearby location, Juliet knew this inclusive, outdoor space accessible to the people supported at CONNECT would be a tremendous opportunity. Like everyone else, CONNECT had just completed the first year […]
Shining a Light on Brain Injury
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 1, 2021
Shining a light on brain injury in Canada
VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA – June is Brain Injury Awareness Month in Canada. 452 Canadians suffer a serious traumatic brain injury every day. This amounts to nearly one person every 3 minutes, equaling almost 165,000 serious brain injuries per year. This does not include concussions, non-traumatic brain injuries, military injuries, or unreported cases.
The results of a recent survey conducted by Canadian brain injury associations revealed that approximately 61% of respondents found general lack of awareness about brain injury a key issue. These results demonstrate that we need to work harder to shine a light on the prevalence and intersectionality of brain injury.
Through multiple digital platforms and events, Canadian brain injury associations are working […]
OBIA Provincial ABI Conference 2021
The Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA), in collaboration with participating Community Associations, is pleased to announce the Provincial ABI Conference 2021 will be held on October 28-29, 2021 VIRTUALLY.
Research Study: The Experiences of Self-Identity, Self-Awareness, and Occupational Engagement in Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury
Dr. Julia Schmidt, PhD, BSC (OT) is the Principal Investigator of a new research study on the experiences of self-identity, self-awareness, and occupational engagement in individuals with traumatic brain injury.
Are you interested in sharing your experiences of life after traumatic brain injury? If so, your involvement includes completing five questionnaires and an intereview. Click here to view a larger image.
The questionnaires will take approximately 45 minutes and will ask you about:
- demographic data (example: age)
- issues related to your injury
- how you perceive yourself
- your abilities
- your daily activities
The interview will take approximately 40 to 60 minutes and will ask you about:
- your injury
- how you perceive yourself
- your […]
The Compassionate Voice
A little compassion and kindness go a long way in life. This is especially true with brain injury. The aftermath of brain injury impacts everyone. It affects the individual in significant ways. It brings change to a family on many levels, and it has extraordinary consequences for the spouse or partner.
Brain injury shrouds the entire family with a cloak of uncertainty and aloneness. Everyone is met with the challenge of rebuilding life, often from ground zero. This is incredibly difficult when the outside world’s perception is “you look like the same family, so behave like the same family.” It takes courage, resiliency, stick-to-itiveness, and most of all, self-compassion to keep putting one […]
Canadian Concussion Centre Webinar Series
Join the Canadian Concussion Centre for the 2021-22 Series of Education and Support Series for people with persisting concussion symptoms, their families and friends and their healthcare professionals.
MyGuide Concussion
What is MyGuide Concussion?
MyGuide Concussion website provides current best practice knowledge to help adults with concussion manage symptoms, develop skills and confidence to take action in their recovery and feel empowered to get back to their life after a concussion.
Click on image to view it larger
Developed by a team of experienced clinicians and content experts, MyGuide Concussion provides a personalized guide for each user on:
- Introduction to common symptoms and concussion recovery basics
- Guidance for gradually returning to activities
- Strategies for becoming a self-manager
- Tips for navigating the health care system
How is MyGuide Concussion unique?
While there are a number of websites […]