The month of June is Brain Injury Awareness Month and a good time to be a little more educated about the - potentially lifelong - consequences of brain injuries.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. In Canada, 165,000 people every year suffer an injury or an accident that results in some sort of brain injury. In Saskatchewan, more than 2,000 people each year acquire a brain injury.
The scary thing about these numbers is the fact that they are cumulative, which means the number continues to grow. These statistics are the reason that Brain Injury Awareness Month is so important. Recognizing how many people currently live with a brain injury is the first step in being able to understand and aid them with their everyday struggles.
The Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association (SBIA) works toward helping people with a brain injury. SBIA was founded as a grassroots organization in 1985 by brain injury survivors and their families.
The organization was started because of a lack of resources and support systems In Saskatchewan for people living with brain injuries. They work with brain injury survivors and their families from the moment of injury - providing information, service advocacy, referrals to support groups, and educational programs.
The largest problem facing the SBIA is the way brain injuries are diagnosed. Instead of treatment based on someone’s needs, treatment options are based on their diagnosis, which doesn’t always align with what they need.
The pandemic had a severe impact on the flow of funding to the SBIA. Fundraising became extremely difficult because of COVID public health restrictions. The association made only about a fifth of what they raised in 2019.
They hope to blow that number out of the water in 2022 with the 20th annual Brain Boogie Fundraiser, powered by Canada Helps.
A new event that unfortunately won’t be coming to Moose Jaw - but will be in Regina - is the Brain Power Hour. The Brain Power Hour is meant to help strengthen skills that were lost after a brain injury.
The SBIA works to create an individualized exercise that aids in building lost skills and they have found that within two weeks of joining the program, people start noticing a difference. The association found that regular and consistent exercise brings a lot of improvement to people's lives. Although it has been a summer program, this year they are going to try continuing the program through the winter. The Brain Power Hour gives people an opportunity to participate in exercises tailored to their specific needs.
During this month, do some research about brain injuries and the different effects an injury like this can cause. The most common cause of brain injury is simply falling off something, like a ladder or your bed. Recognizing how many people can be affected by a brain injury and how easy it could happen to you or a loved one is the first step in staying aware.
If you would like to find out more about brain injuries visit http://www.sbia.ca/.
To contribute to the SBIA's fundraising this year, visit brainboogie.ca/saskatchewan.
