traumatic brain injury

Priorities for Quality of Life after Traumatic Brain Injury

UBC researchers and community stakeholders have published a paper on the Priorities for Quality of Life After Brain Injury and an informative infographic.

It is known that individuals who have sustained a brain injury may experience changes to their quality of life (QOL). To date there has been limited patient-oriented research to understand the priorities for quality of life following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This research aimed to explore the priorities using a group consensus building method.

Click the link to access the publication:
Priorities for quality of life after traumatic brain injury

Grewal J, Citton K, Sing G, Biagioni JB, Schmidt J (2024) Priorities for quality of life after […]

The Impact of Brain Injury on One’s Inner Calendar

Forgetting something here and there usually isn’t a problem. It happens to everyone.

Memory loss is often associated with aging. People say things like, “My memory isn’t what it use to be.” But what if you were in your 20s and as a result of a traumatic brain injury, your memory was significantly impacted.

Sheila Willis of Alberta, shares her story of traumatic brain injury and the challenges of her inner calendar shifting as a result. Although she was in her early 20s when she was injured, she did not receive a diagnosis of post-concussive syndrome until her late 40s.

Sheila Willis’ story highlights the challenges faced by individuals […]

Why Write a Blog?

~By Debra Erickson

May 16, 2008, I was heading up our city’s Bike to Work Week. While cycling home from my office that day, I was hit by a truck. The vehicle fled the scene and left me unconscious at the side of the road.

That split second forever altered my life. Two and a half years in neurological rehabilitation, chronic pain, fatigue, and confusion marked my daily life. Navigating the strange new landscape of Traumatic Brain Injury was lonely and difficult. Even my husband of thirty-three years could not understand my behaviour and sadly our marriage ended. My journey is only one story. There […]

Debra’s Journey: Introduction

Brainstreams is pleased to introduce Debra Erickson, the newest writer in our Between the Lines series committed to sharing the stories of brain injury survivors.

Debra Erickson was the victim of a hit and run in May 2008 and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Prior to her injury, Debra worked primarily in banking and as a legal assistant. Her TBI changed the course of her life and since then she has been involved in with United Way speaking at fundraising events. Her involvement with Humanitarian efforts has taken her to Africa, Indonesia, and Central America. Teaching English as a Second Language has given her the opportunity to […]

Moderate to Severe Brain Injury as a Chronic Condition

Brain Injury Canada issued a statement announcing the momentous collaboration with Canadian Traumatic Brain Injury Research Consortium (CTRC) to produce a position paper calling for the official classification of moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as a chronic condition in Canada.

This announcement represents a significant milestone in the recognition and proposed designation of moderate to severe TBI, an issue that affects Canadians of all ages. The condition primarily arises from motor vehicle collisions among the younger population and falls among the elderly, making it the leading cause of death and disability in children, youth, and adults under the age of 40.

The collaboration […]

Shaping the Brain: The Woman Who changed her Brain AND Exercise for Rehabilitation After Brain Injury Webinar

The Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA) and Brain Changes Initiative (BCI) are hosting a Complimentary Distinguished Speaker's Webinar Series created for front line health care workers and professionals in the field of brain injury.

Time to Talk Traumatic Brain Injury Podcast

Time To Talk Podcast Logo

Time to Talk Traumatic Brain injury is a podcast created by survivors of brain injury. It is dedicated to traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors who are doing their best to live a healthy and productive life post injury. In this podcast you will hear from survivors, caregivers, medical professionals, and others!

Several of the Time to Talk Traumatic Brain Injury podcasts are currently and will continue to feature interviews with doctors and physiotherapists working in the field of brain injury, as well as others in the medical field including occupational therapists, speech therapists, and other rehabilitation experts. Most importantly, the voices of actual survivors will talk about how they […]

We want to hear from you!

If you sustained a brain injury in a car crash after April 1, 2019, we are keen to hear your experiences, thoughts, feelings and advice.

We invite you to please use this new online survey to tell us your story.

Our intent is to collect meaningful stories that reflect survivors’ experiences in navigating the new ICBC Accident Benefits Coverage. We will collate the information and identify common themes, share a summary of it with ICBC, and use it to inform next steps.

We want to identify opportunities for improvement and hear your thoughts about additional information or activities that can support survivors in navigating […]

What is a concussion?

Concussion, a form of traumatic brain injury, is the most common type of brain injury. Concussions are caused by a direct blow or jolt to the head, face or neck. Most well known for taking place in sporting activities, concussions can take many forms and happen for a variety of reasons, such as falls, crashes, assaults, motor vehicle accidents etc. It is important to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion as soon as possible. Taking the right precautions to heal from a brain injury is key to the success of one’s recovery. Often described as ‘mild […]

Understanding TBI

This workshop is offered for traumatic brain injury survivors, their friends and families. A physiatrist will talk about how the brain functions and what happens after a brain injury and its recovery. An interactive group discussion will follow around general rehabilitation strategies and caregiver resources.