Survive-Strive-Thrive Conference – Save the Date!
Call for Stories
Call for Stories!
BC Brain Injury Association (BCBIA) is celebrating 40 years of service. Over the years, many stories of survivors overcoming adversity have been shared. These stories are powerful. As part of our celebration, BCBIA is actively seeking inspirational stories from individuals and families living with a brain injury to publish on Brainstreams.
We know that rehabilitation and recovery is a very long process. People need hope, encouragement, and unlimited cheerleaders to rebuild life after brain injury. It is our intention to share stories of triumph and success to inspire and give hope. Join us and share your story today.
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Blind Sighted by Anne Mok – TEDxSFU
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
~ Helen Keller (1880 – 1968)
Helen Keller, after becoming ill at the age of two, which resulted in her becoming deaf and blind, grew up to become a world-renown author, disability rights advocate, political activist, and lecturer. In an eerie similarity, at the tender age of three, Anne Mok began experiencing vision challenges and she too, has grown to become an amazing woman dedicated to creating change.
“I’m a digital storyteller seeking beauty with purpose and inspiration to the visually impaired community to make the view accessible.”
Call for More Research on Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury
Researchers are calling for more research on brain injury and domestic violence.
Many will equate concussion with sports-related injury. But a concussion can be sustained from a punch to the face or someone’s head being hit repeatedly against the wall or the floor.
Halina Haag, a social worker and PhD candidate in social work at Wilfrid Laurier University and Dr. Carmela Tartaglia, a neurologist with the Canadian Concussion Centre in Toronto, in a recent article, share the need to do more research on the impact of brain injury for women. For the Globe and Mail article, click on the link below.
Article:
Medically Assisted Dying & People in Poverty
A shocking 4 in 10 Canadians living in poverty are also individuals living with a disability. On October 8, 2022, Global News aired The New Reality report which states that it is poverty, rather than pain, that is driving individuals to choose medically assisted death.
Last year, the federal government expanded eligibility for folks who are NOT terminally ill for medically assisted death. In March, it is anticipated further expansion will include individuals living with mental illness.
Click here for the full video.
The controversary is not about individuals who are terminally ill and choose medically assisted dying. This report is about individuals with a disability who are […]
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 […]
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 aim to support employers who are not familiar with an acquired brain injury. Returning to meaningful activity, including employement when possible, is a central goal for many individuals who has 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:
Vulnerable Road-User and ICBC No-Fault Insurance
In British Columbia, we encourage people to enjoy outdoor activities. Whether you bike, skateboard, ride a scooter, or walk, everyone is asked to abide by safety rules and to ‘share the road’.
Did you know that as a participant of these activities you are considered a vulnerable-road user, and if involved in a crash with a motor vehicle, you may be faced with implications from ICBC’s No-Fault Insurance? Neither did Vancouver resident, Ben Bolliger.
Last year, Bolliger, was hit by a car as he traveled in a designated bike lane through a controlled intersection. To his dismay, and to everyone else who has read the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper article, Mr. Bolliger received a bill from ICBC for more than $3700 […]
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 […]
Concerns with ICBC Enhanced Care Model
The Cridge Centre for the Family Brain Injury Program and the BC Brain Injury Association is most concerned in regard to the issues raised in this article. Innocent crash victims must be fully protected and compensated by ICBC and its Enhanced Care Model. The BCBIA will be bringing this story forward to appropriate authorities at ICBC and those others concerned about the Enhanced Care Model.
Should you or those within your network experience similar, perceived unfair treatment or support from the ICBC Enhanced Care Model, please let us know. Send concerns or issues to: Geoff Sing care of – info@nullbrainstreams.ca.
Click here to read the full article on Jess […]
Concussion Awareness Week in B.C. Sept. 26th – Oct. 2nd.
British Columbia hosts its first annual Concussion Awareness Week.
September 26th to October 2nd is British Columbia’s first annual Concussion Awareness Week. The BC Injury, Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU) and Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT) have partners to run a campaing aimed at raising awareness about concussion and to encourage British Columbians to learn how to prevent, recognize, respond to, and manage this invisible injury.
Each year in BC, 600 individuals are hospitalized for a a concussion, and an estimated 14,500 visit the emergency departments.
In an article from BCIRPU, Dr. Shelina Babul is quoted, “When well-managed, approximately 70 to 85 per cent of concussions will resolve without complication,” says Dr. Shelina Babul, associate director and sports injury specialist […]
Brain Injury Housing Needs Survey
The Family Advocates for Brain Injury Survivors is a committee of the CGB Centre for Traumatic Life Losses.
The purpose of the committee is to determine affordable and accessible housing and support solutions for individuals living with a brain injury. Specifically, the members are comprised of parents, survivors, family representatives, and research students with a vested interest in the development of “Forever Homes” with supports for survivors of brain injury.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Identify ways to raise awareness and come up with strategies to achieve better housing support.
- Research the current housing and living supports available for individuals with disabilities.
- Collaborate with survivors and families to […]
Intimate partner violence and brain injury: the invisible disability meets the silent pandemic.
1 in 4 women in Canada will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. In Canada, it is estimated that more than 200,000 women a year receive brain injuries inflicted by their intimate partners, with up to 92% of IPV incidents involving hits or punches to the head or face, banging of the head against a hard object, or strangulation. It is reported that for every one NHL player who sustains a concussion in sport, 5,500 Canadian women sustain the same injury from IPV. Survivors of IPV are at an increased risk of experiencing adverse medical health outcomes such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety […]
National Hidden Disability Symbol
A National Hidden Disability Symbol: It is time. It is right. It is needed.
Consider becoming an ally and join the movement for a national Hidden Disability Symbol in Canada.
Co-founders of the Hidden Disability Symbol (HSDC) movement are: Maeri Perra, Communications Manager, Brain Injury Society of Toronto, Michelle McDonald, Executive Director, Brain Injury Canada, and Laura Brydges, Member of the hidden disability community, and Administrator, facebook.com/HiddenDisability.
This team has prepared a communication kit for individuals or organizations to release before August 24, 2021.
The kit includes:
- Media release for local media outlets.
- Letter to […]
Intimate Partner Violence & Brain Injury
Shining a light on Brain Injury Awareness Month Across Canada
VICTORIA, B.C. June 2021:
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 brain injury associations across Canada 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.
Please be aware […]
Video Series Part 1 – Motor Vehicle Brain Injury
Navigating Your Recovery Journey
Part 1: ICBC Accident Benefits Coverage
What is this video about?
The BC Brain Injury Association (BCBIA) has created a series of short videos (6-11 minutes each) that highlight scenarios that we think are important for individuals and families to have information about, as they navigate ICBC’s Accident Benefit Coverage system.
When ICBC introduced changes to its Accident Benefits Coverage in April, 2019, we knew that many people would have questions, particularly if they had suffered a brain injury as a result of a motor vehicle accident. We started out by creating a series of blog posts intended to help provide information to our stakeholders […]
The Faces of Brain Injury
Behind every brain injury diagnosis is a real person. We are pleased to share The Faces of Brain Injury, a series of digital posters sharing a brief snapshot into the lives of brain injury survivors.
Click on the poster to view, or individual names: Michael Coss, Toni King, Kresimir Kero,
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 […]
Update on the BC Recovery Benefit and people receiving Ministry assistance
DABC has been informed that clients currently receiving Ministry assistance (PWD, Income Assistance, Hardship Assistance), will automatically receive the BC Recovery Benefit – there is now no need to apply for the BC Recovery Benefit separately.
The following information comes directly from the Ministry:
“As of February 2021, the BC Recovery Benefit will be automatically paid to people on income, disability or hardship assistance and people receiving the senior’s supplement who were receiving assistance by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (SDPR) in December 2020 or January 2021.
• SDPR clients will receive the full BC Recovery Benefit amounts of $500 for single people an $1,000 for single-parent families and two-parent families.
• SDPR clients will […]
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 […]