BrainLine News - June 2009

Everyone needs to feel loved and valued so this month we highlight resources, stories, and videos about relationships. Read about Trisha Meili — the Central Park Jogger — 20 years after her attack, who credits her miraculous recovery to the love and support she received from family, friends — and strangers. Peruse a "photovoice" exhibit created by people with traumatic brain injury. And get tips on how to strengthen family and marital bonds and more.

In This Issue

- News and Resources
- Ideas for Caregivers
- Inspiring Stories

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News and Resources

Telling Stories from Behind the Lens
What does it feel like to live with a brain injury? How do you cope? Where do you find comfort, support, and hope? "Brain Injury X-Posed: The Survivor's View" is a photographic exhibit created by eight members of a Massachusetts support group. Each participant took photographs and wrote personal narratives that reflect their experience living with brain injury. A moving glimpse into their lives, this exhibit also includes a facilitator's guide for rehab therapists or individuals to use to create their own photovoice project.
See more >>

Helping Those Who Help Themselves
Jeffrey Kreutzer, PhD, and Taryn Stejskal, PhD, know that the most important thing they do is listen. Leading the team at the National Resource Center for Traumatic Brain Injury at Virginia Commonwealth Model Systems of Care, Dr. Kreutzer and Dr. Stejskal work with couples and families after TBI on marital issues as well as family dynamics and support. Hear them talk about lessons learned and tips you can use.
Watch video >>

The Virtues of a Simple But Effective Screening Tool
This concise, easy-to-use TBI screening tool helps identify possible head or neck injuries, judge the severity of the injury, and select effective treatment strategies. This tool was recently updated and revised by the Ohio Valley Center for Brain Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation, produced with support from BrainLine.
Read more >>

DVBIC News: Spanish Resources Now Available
Spanish translations of three popular DVBIC handouts are now available. Signs and Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Frequently Asked Questions About the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC), and the DVBIC Fact Sheet on TBI may be downloaded at www.DVBIC.org. To order print copies, please email your request to education@DVBIC.org.
Download handouts >>

For Social Workers: Getting in the Know
Many people with TBI receive their care in medical or rehab settings that may not have specific expertise in brain injuries. "Systematic Approach to Social Work Practice: Working with Clients with Traumatic Brain Injury" — from TIRR Memorial Hermann and Baylor College of Medicine — helps social workers who may not have specialized training relate better to clients with brain injury, increase their knowledge about TBI, and work more effectively with these clients.
Read more >>

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Ideas for Caregivers

Peer Mentoring: Two-Way Friendship and Guidance
At times, everyone needs a little help and guidance. For someone who has sustained a TBI, a peer mentor can be a lifesaver. Peer mentors are "veteran" TBI survivors who help new survivors adjust to their changed lives. "Making Connections after TBI: A Guide for Social Peer Mentors" offers information from skills that a mentor will need to ideas about social activities.
Read more >>

BrainLine on Twitter
Follow BrainLine on Twitter to keep up with all the latest news and research in the brain injury community. Twitter is a social tool that allows people to share ideas, information, links, and news instantly. Join the conversation, share your personal insight and experience with us, or send news about your organization so we can help spread the word to the already 4,000 followers we have. We look forward to your tweets!
Follow us on Twitter >>

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Inspiring Stories

BrainLine Exclusive: Interview with Trisha Meili — the Central Park Jogger
It has been twenty years since Trisha Meili was raped, bludgeoned, and left unconscious in New York's Central Park. She went from being read last rites to taking her first run only four months after the attack. "I tell people with brain injury, 'You might be different, but different doesn't mean worse'," she says. "That can be a powerful realization when you are feeling close to defeat." Find out what she is doing now and how she was able to reclaim her life against all odds.
Read more >>

Everyone has a story. Brain Injury Dialogues, a spirited documentary written and directed by Lyell Davies and Rick Franklin, who has a TBI, follows a handful of people with TBI as they navigate their lives — from their tenacity in rehab to their celebrations of pride.

For veteran Army Staff Sergeant Roy Bell, recovery has been a tough road. He has problems with balance, intense migraines, and sensitivity to light. And his brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder have left him feeling emotionally raw. But through his ongoing journey, Roy has learned that patience and focus will ultimately lead him to a much better place. Watch him share his story with BrainLine.

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For more information about TBI, please come visit us at BrainLine.org.

All the best from BrainLine.
Noel Gunther, Executive Director
Christian Lindstrom, Director, Learning Media
Victoria Youcha, EdD, Director, BrainLine
Matthew Bruce, Web Manager
Victoria Tilney McDonough, Associate Editor
Elaine Phillips, MSP, CCC/SLP, Research Consultant
Theresa Rankin, Outreach Consultant
Brian King, Senior Multimedia Producer
Kimberley Larson, Web Designer
Ian Collins, Technical Web Manager
Leon Gittens, Project Administrator
Krystal Klingenberg, Project Coordinator

Newsletter editor: Victoria Tilney McDonough

About BrainLine
BrainLine is a service of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital.

BrainLine is funded by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, the primary operational TBI component of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, through a subcontract award with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine.

This material is based upon work supported by the USAMRAA under Contract Number W81XWH-09-C-0026. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAMRAA.