Brain Injury Lawyer

The Brian Injury Association of New Jersey is scheduled to hold two upcoming seminars on the  behavioral changes people face after suffering a traumatic brain injury. The seminars will provide an overview of brain injuries including common symptoms and the prevalence of TBIs in New Jersey.

The seminar will also discuss how to identify the common behavioral changes that can occur after a brain injury has occurred, and some of the common causes of these behavioral changes. The seminar will also discuss the psychosocial issues faced by individuals with brain injuries, and how these issues can change with age.

The seminars will be held:

April 10, 2008
9:15 AM - 3:30 PM
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
West Orange, NJ

April 16,2008
9:15 AM - 3:30 PM
PSE&G Conference Center
Edison, NJ

You can find more information on these seminars, and how to register here.

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-and recreation-related concussions occur in the United States each year, including those for which no medical care is sought” writes Ronald Savage, Ed.D. in this month’s issue of Brain Injury Professional, the official publication of the North America Brain Injury Society. 

The topic of this issue is “Special Issue on Sports-Related Concussion.”  Michael W. Collins, Ph.D. one of the nation’s leading sports concussion experts serves as guest editor for this excellent issue.  In putting together this issue, Dr. Collins “chose a multidisciplinary group of esteemed professionals who lend an expertise to the many facets of sports concussion.” 

The issue includes articles by Dr. Collins, Gerard A. Gioia, Ph.D., Mark R. Lovell, Ph.D. and his colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and numerous other leading experts.  For those concerned about our children being injured in sports-related activities, this is an excellent issue.

I found a new website the other day with some really interesting and useful information for people with cognitive disabilities. The Center for Lifelong Planning is an organization that strives to provide support and create an environment in which an individual can attain and maintain optimal functioning, living, and well-being.

The Center for Lifelong Planning has resources and links to professionals in the cognitive disability field, and information on a variety of relevant topics. They also have an e-Newsletter, featuring articles and advice from experts in the field.

I really enjoyed this website, and I think the advice and resources they're making more readily available to the general public will be a tremendous help to those suffering from, and those caring for, individuals with cognitive disabilities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in August 2007 funding of the Mount Sinai Injury Control Research Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City. This new center will conduct research on persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to better understand the consequences of injury and the needs of injured people, with the aim of enhancing quality of life.

Mount Sinai’s is one of several CDC Injury Control Research Centers, which are located at universities throughout the U.S. and that integrate scientists from a wide spectrum of disciplines to study how to prevent and control injuries more effectively. In addition each ICRC provides technical assistance to injury prevention and control programs within its geographic region.

Amongst the many centers across the U.S., the Mount Sinai ICRC will be unique, as its sole focus will be on TBI, unlike the other centers, which aim their activities at many types of disability. The emphasis on TBI is in recognition of the large number of people who sustain permanent disability annually. CDC estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans, about 2% of the population, sustain lifelong challenges in daily living as a result of TBI. The Mount Sinai ICRC is also taking an unusual path for a center, in that it will focus not on primary prevention, in which the idea is to prevent injuries from happening in the first place. Instead, it will concern itself with “secondary” prevention –  to find better ways to prevent problems from occurring after the initial injury. For example, many people with TBI experience mood problems after injury, and one of Mount Sinai’s research projects will study how to treat that problem if it occurs or prevent it from happening at all – trying to halt one part of the cascade of negative events that often follows brain injury.

“We are pleased to add the Mount Sinai ICRC and their TBI expertise to the diversity of CDC’s ICRC’s. We believe the research they are undertaking will lead to richer, fuller lives for the millions of Americans who are living with TBI.” said Dr. Ileana Arias, Director of CDC’s Injury Center. She went on to say that “connecting research to communities is a primary focus for CDC and we are pleased that Mount Sinai’s ICRC is now part of this critical research network. We hope that their work in TBI will fill a critical gap and can help shape a better understanding of improving the lives of those affected.”

Mount Sinai plans four TBI research projects; they will:

    * Evaluate the validity of the Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire to better determine its utility in screening for unidentified TBI – for finding people who have had an injury in the past but have never linked current problems in functioning to the injury (as often happens as a result of childhood injuries, sports injuries and abuse/assault)
    * Evaluate the I-CAN, a new method for identifying perceived needs of individuals with TBI
    * Conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the impact of aerobic exercise on the mood and cognitive functioning of individuals with TBI
    * Conduct an RCT to evaluate the impact of an intensive, short-term day program for individuals with TBI, focused on improving complex cognitive functioning and the person’s ability to pay attention

Through CDC’s work with ICRCs, each university’s curriculum also fosters comprehensive programs for training. At the Mount Sinai ICRC, a program for training pre- and post-doctoral researchers is planned, as are efforts to shape the curriculum within Mount Sinai School of Medicine to better address injury control and prevention objectives.  A website, educational materials for individuals with TBI, as well as professionally oriented dissemination are all planned as means of effecting prevention of post-TBI secondary disability

 
For more information about CDC’s ICRC program, visit www.cdc.gov/injury. For information about Mount Sinai’s ICRC, visit www.tbicentral.org. 

The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey will hold the Walk for Though, Cycle for Safety event to benefit the more than 5.3 million people living with brain injuries across the country. The event will be held Saturday October 13, 2007 at the Washington Crossing Park in Titusville, NJ and at the Saddle River County Park in Paramus, NJ.

The walk For Thought / Cycle For Safety is an opportunity to raise public awareness, to celebrate the achievements of people living with brain injury and to honor those who have sustained brain injuries and cannot walk with us. This is a great event to raise awareness for the ever-increasing need to support those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury, or those friends and family members who have also been affected by a TBI.

If you would like to register to participate at this event, please contact Tim Manni at tmanni@bianj.org or Joanna Boyd at jboyd@bianj.org or call 732-738-1002.

At the age of 16, Daniel Windheim suffered a traumatic brain injury during a car accident, which left him in a coma for weeks before he was able to regain consciousness. Almost thirty years later, Daniel and his mother Marjorie are working to educate people about traumatic brain injuries through a new book they have authored titled, It's Not All Black & White: A Survivor's View of Life.

This book, which for Daniel and Marjorie serves as an autobiography of the past thirty years, is meant to assist those who have experienced similar situations in their lives. The book is a composite journal, advice piece and gathering of poetry discussing life from the perspective of a parent, and survivor.

You can read more on Daniel's story and their new book here.

The North American Brain Injury Society recently launched the Brain Injury Career Center, which allows employers to connect with potential future employees. The site has an employer section where businesses and organizations can reach a target and focused audience of qualified brain injury professionals, post their recent job opening, search resumes electronically and promote their company on-line. Job seekers can confidentially post their resume, search job listings and receive automatic email notification whenever a job matches their specific criteria.

I think this is a great resource for the brain injury field. This will be a great way for employers and employees to connect. You can access the Brain Injury Career Center here.

I found a fellow blogger recently with a remarkable story. At the age of 10, Craig Phillips suffered a very severe traumatic brain injury, first leaving him in a coma for more than 3 weeks, and then leaving Craig to endure multiple surgeries, painful rehabilitation and counseling. Now, more than 40 years later, Craig devotes his life to helping those who have suffered like he has.

Craig's blog, Second Chance to Live is an amazing source of information and support for those suffering from a traumatic brain injury, as well as for those friends and family members assisting a loved one who has suffered a TBI.

Craig is a remarkable story of strength, hope, recovery and a real inspiration to those in need of assistance through a very difficult time. Please take a minute to visit Craig's blog and read more about his amazing story.

The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey will hold two educational seminars for parents, school professionals and students with brain injuries. The seminars will address some of the new technological solutions created to assist those suffering from brain injuries with organization, memory reading and writing skills.

There will be assitive technology and additional software devices available for testing and demonstrations throughout the session.

The presenters include Mike Marotta, ATP, Assistant Director for Assistive Technology Services at CP of NJ and Susan Paradise, Educational Specialist for JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute's Center for Head Injuries.

The seminars will be held:
Wednesday October 3, 2007
From 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Children's Specialized Hospital
150 New Providence Road
Mountainside, NJ 07092

Wednesday October 17, 2007
From 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Weisman Children's Rehabilitation Hospital
92 Brick Road

Both sessions are free and open to the public. For more information about the session or to RSVP, contact Erica Puopolo of the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey at 732-738-1002, or by email at epuopolo@bianj.org.
Marlton, NJ 08053

The International Brain Injury Association has a wonderful article detailing the importance of early diagnosis and the constant attention that needs to be paid to concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI).

The article provides steps and tips you can take in order to better diagnosis and treat concussions and MTBIs. One of the key components of the tool kit is the Acute Concussion Evaluation (ACE) assessment tool which can help physicians with the initial evaluation and diagnosis of patients of all ages with a known or suspected MTBI or concussion.

You can read the full article on the International Brain Injury Association's website.

You can order or download free of charge the tool kit here.