Back to the Future by Debra Erickson

There’s the family, there’s the appointments and then there’s the accelerated world events of late. Your head spinning? Mine too! One thing for sure, as Bob Dylan sang, is: “The Times – They are a Changin’.”

My schedule doesn’t fully allow for it and recent aches and pains have had me doubting the plan, but I went ahead and booked a flight home to Terrace B.C. to visit family and check in on my 94-year-old dad.

Sometimes there’s no real purpose to the trip except it feels like an […]

GF Strong Virtual Workshop Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury

Join G.F. Strong Rehabilitation for this informative virtual workshop. Registration is required. If family members are attending on different devices, please ensure each person registers individually. The link for the actual meeting will be sent directly to registrations. Click here or on the poster to register.

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!

Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury – A Workshop for Family & Friends

Exclusive Invitation to Survivors of Brain Injury, Family Members, and Caregivers

In January 2024, we launch the “125 Days to Say Yes!” campaign. This initiative is a transformative drive designed to catalyze support and swift action towards the realization of the National Strategy on Brain Injury Act (Bill C-277) with the government of Canada. The campaign coincides with the 125 days the House of Commons will be sitting from January to December in 2024.

As we prepare for the campaign, we invite survivors of brain injury, family members, and caregivers to be the driving force behind this movement by sharing their journey. The campaign involves sharing photos and short videos of […]

Survive-Strive-Thrive 2023

The Cridge Centre for the Family, BC Brain Injury Association, and Brainstreams are pleased to host the 2023 Survive-Strive-Thrive Conference. This event is for survivors, family members, caregivers, and anyone touched by brain injury.

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.

Click here to enlarge poster.

Story Submission Guidelines:

We […]

Michael Coss Mentors UBC Healthcare Students

Michael Coss

To know Michael, is to know his favourite quote, “Anything is possible, if you believe.”

As part of Michael’s ongoing commitment to making continued physical and cognitive progress, he is mentoring three healthcare students from the University of British Columbia (UBC).

The Interprofessional Mentors Health Program at UBC, requires Michael to make a nine-month commitment to share his experience navigating the Healthcare system over the last 16 years.

The program brings together students from different health disciplines to learn from mentors living with a chronic condition or a disability or who is a caregiver. The groups are self-directed and bring together four students and the mentor during the Fall and Winter Terms.

Michael says, […]

Survive Strive Thrive 2022

The 8th Annual Survive Strive Thrive Conference is open for Registration.

Sea to Sky Aphasia Camp

The Sea to Sky Aphasia Camp is based on a community-university partnership that brings together people with aphasia, their family members, and students from a wide variety of health professions.

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 […]

Virtual Caregivers Support Group

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.

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.

WHAT? Monthly Caregiver Support Group

WHERE? Virtual

WHEN? 6-Monthly […]

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 […]

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 […]

Brain Injury Housing Needs Survey

Family Advocates for Brain Injury Survivors

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 […]

The Fourth International Housing First Conference

The Ontario Housing First Regional Network Community of Interest presents, the Fourth International Housing First Conference: Knowledge Mobilization of Evidence-Based Housing First Practices.

family

Back to the Future by Debra Erickson

GF Strong Virtual Workshop Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury

Mother’s Metamorphosis by Debra Erickson

Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury – A Workshop for Family & Friends

Invitation to Survivors, Family Members, and Caregivers

Exclusive Invitation to Survivors of Brain Injury, Family Members, and Caregivers

Survive-Strive-Thrive 2023

Michael Coss Mentors UBC Healthcare Students

Survive Strive Thrive 2022

Sea to Sky Aphasia Camp

The Road Ahead: Next Exit Hope! For Ages 5 and Up.

The Road Ahead: Next Exit Hope! For Ages 11 and Up.

Virtual Caregivers Support Group

Virtual Caregivers Support Group

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

Cultivating Community is Cultivating Kindness

What is this video about?

Brain Injury Housing Needs Survey

The Fourth International Housing First Conference