BrainLine News - March 2009
Welcome to Brain Injury Awareness Month — a yearly effort each March to shine a spotlight on the progress and benefits of brain research. BrainLine's comprehensive list of events across the country includes everything from the Congressional Brain Injury Awareness Fair on Capitol Hill to the Walk 4 Thought Brain Injury Awareness Walk in Victorville, California. For other ideas on how to get more involved in the brain injury community, find useful resources, and learn about the courage and resilience of others with TBI, check out the exciting suggestions that follow.
In This Issue
- News and Resources
- Ideas for Caregivers
- Inspiring Stories
News and Resources
Join the TBI Community on Facebook
BrainLine has an active and supportive group on Facebook. Join discussions on a variety of topics like how to supplement disability income by working from home or the impact of TBI on married life. Hear what members advise on rebuilding a social life and the pros and cons of various treatments. The BrainLine.org group on Facebook is a wonderful way for people to connect, trade experiences, and share ideas with others in the TBI community. We hope you'll join our rapidly growing group!
Join our group on Facebook >>
For Kids and Teachers: Visit the National Museum of Health and Medicine
Have you ever wanted to know what a human brain feels like? Or maybe you want to try out your surgical skills by extracting a simulated brain tumor from a 'Jell-O' brain? During their annual Brain Awareness Week, the museum hosts its "Partners in Education" program with hands-on activities for school children on topics like brain anatomy and neuroscience. This tenth annual event takes place March 16-20 in Washington, D.C.
Find out more >>
BrainLine Exclusive: Post-Traumatic Headache — Why You Need a More Specific Diagnosis
Post-traumatic headaches are the most common complaint after brain injury. In fact, approximately 70 percent of people with TBI experience them. But post-traumatic headaches come in all shapes and sizes. BrainLine sat down with Dr. Nathan Zasler to learn about the different types of post-injury headaches and how to get the most accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Read more >>
Find Out About Free Computer Equipment
Take the astounding amount of useful equipment that is thrown away everyday by companies and individuals and put that together with the thousands of disabled or disadvantaged people who need computers and you get the Center for Computer Redistribution. This not-for-profit organization takes computer donations, repairs or upgrades them, then works to get them to people with disabilities for free.
Find out more >>
BrainLine Exclusive: Neuropsychologist Maria Mouratidis Talks About the Heroes She Meets Every Day
Hear what Dr. Maria Mouratidis has learned from treating thousands of injured soldiers. A neuropsychologist from National Naval Medical Center, she says, "There is hope, and hope is renewed everyday. ... The ability of the body, the mind, and the spirit to overcome is tremendous."
Watch video >>
What Rehab Approaches Work Best After TBI?
A recent study compared the effectiveness of two rehabilitation approaches in a randomized group of 360 veterans or active-duty troops — mostly men, with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Conducted by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, researchers looked at how study participants did in rehab when the emphasis was on helping them relearn thinking skills versus a rehab approach that focused on giving participants hands-on practice doing everyday tasks.
Learn more >>
Register Now: National Brain Injury Employment Conference
What would the workforce look like if everyone with a brain injury who wanted to work knew where to go for employment? This year's National Brain Injury Employment Conference, "Building Bridges to Supports and Opportunities," will focus on this very question. The annual conference will be held June 17-18 in Aurora, Colorado.
Register now >>
Ideas for Caregivers
New Sesame Street TV Special for Children of Returning Soldiers
Queen Latifah, John Mayer, and Elmo are teaming up for a new prime-time special entitled "Coming Home: Military Families Cope with Change." The program will tell the stories of U.S. service members who return home with injuries — both visible and invisible — and will explore the struggles that their families face. The new half-hour special is scheduled to air April 1, 8pm ET/ PT, on PBS. Check your local listings for details.
Read more >>
Figuring Out Finances After TBI
Money is often a big concern during recovery. The person with TBI may no longer be able to work or a family member may need to leave her job to become a fulltime caregiver. This chapter from Coping with Mild TBI offers helpful information from types of available compensation to government programs.
Read more >>
Inspiring Stories
The Central Park Jogger's Story of Hope and Possibility
In her memoir, Trisha Meili — known to thousands as the Central Park Jogger — discusses what happened to her that night in New York's Central Park and reveals who she was before the attack and who she became as a result of it. She tells the story of a competitive and driven young executive at a finance firm whose life was destroyed, and how she ultimately rebuilt it. Read this excerpt from one of the first public stories of traumatic brain injury and the amazing recovery that followed.
Read more >>
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.