Brain Injury Lawyer - New York

New web site launched by Brain Injury Association of New Jersey

The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey has launched a new website, NJteen- Driving  to help increase awareness and educate parents about the risks associated with teen driving.

Information available on the site includes the risk factors that play a role in teen crashes, details of the Graduated Driver License program (GDL), current and relevant legislation related to teens getting behind the wheel, and features such as videos, news articles, an interactive teen crash site map, tips and important contacts.

The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey is the statewide organization in New Jersey committed to supporting and advocating for individuals affected by brain injury and raising public awareness through education and prevention.

Brain Injury Recovery Documentary

In 2004, Jason Crigler's life was taking off. He was one of New York's hottest young guitarists, his new CD was due for release and his wife, Monica, was pregnant with their first child. Then, at a gig in Manhattan, Jason suffered a near-fatal brain hemorrhage. His doctors doubted he would ever emerge from his near-vegetative state. The astonishing journey that followed, documented by friend and filmmaker is documented in a movie entitled LIFE SUPPORT MUSIC.  The film has received critical acclaim.

The film is scheduled to premiere on the public broadcast network (PBS) on July 7, 2009.  You can check out the full broadcast schedule on more information by clicking here.

Brain Injury Resource Lecture at The George Washington University

I am thrilled to be in Washington DC today to again lecture at the Master's Degree Program in the Center for Education and Human Services Acquired Brain Injury Masters program at The George Washington University.

This semester’s lecture is focused on examining the various sources of information that is available on the internet in the area of traumatic brain injury. We will be exploring government web sites such as the Center For Disease Control and the National Institute of Health, great brain injury resource sites such as BrainLine, web sites that emphasize management of sports concussions, web sites that provide useful information on special education, various neuropsychological accrediting groups, brain injury association pages, brain injury professional societies and of course the brain injury news and information blog and brain law and the brain injury legal guide web site.

The Master's Degree Program in Special Education: Emphasis in Acquired Brain Injury is focused in addressing the national shortage of special education and related service personnel qualified to meet the needs of students with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and their families. Graduates are uniquely prepared to be educators and systemic improvement specialists in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation programs, advocacy programs, and related organizations. Scholarship support for qualified students is available. You can obtain more information on the GW Acquired Brain Injury Program by clicking here.

Living with the uncertainty of epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common consequence following all types of head trauma.  Epilepsy has been found to occur following mild, moderate and severe brain injury and often occurs following car accidents, drowning and injuries that cause lack of oxygen to the brain.

Unfortunately, epilepsy is misunderstood by most individuals.  NPR recently produced an interesting radio show on the difficulties faced by individuals with epilepsy and their family members.

Guests on the radio broadcast are: Warren Lammert, co-founder and chairman of the Epilepsy Therapy Project and Dr. Orrin Devinsky, director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and professor of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine.

Listen to the epilepsy broadcast.

Nutritional requirements following severe traumatic brain injury

The Brain Trauma Foundation(BTF) is sponsoring a lecture on the nutritional requirements for patients  who have sustained a severe traumatic brain injury . 

The lecture is scheduled for  June 2, 2009 from 12:00-1:00 PM EST and will be a live, interactive, web-based lecture on "Food for Thought" Implementation of Nutritional Guidelines for the Acute TBI Patient. It is a part of the BTF’s Lunchtime Lectures which are a monthly, one-hour online lecture series taught by top neurotrauma care experts on various up-to-date topics related to traumatic brain injury (TBI).

These live, interactive lectures are complete with slides and audio and easily accessible through an Internet browser and a toll-free phone call.

The brain injury nutrition lecture will be presented by Lynn Kemp, RN, MA, CCRN, CFRN, CEN, NREMT-P, Administrative Director of Surgery/Trauma Services, St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, NY. 

Registration Fee per lecture: $49.95 per organization or per individual unaffiliated with a participating group 

The fee for the web lecture includes:
•        Unlimited participant attendance at your site
•        Unlimited telephone connections
•        Handouts
•        CEH/CEU/CME Credit

To Participate:  Please REGISTER HERE. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the training session, session number, password, and toll-free conference call number. You must save this confirmation email as it contains necessary information to access the lecture.

New Sesame Street Program Deals With Traumatic Brain Injury and Other Injuries to Returning Service Members

Thanks to BrainLine for tipping me off to a new PBS program on difficulties faced by returning service members including the "invisible injury" of traumatic brain damage.

According to BrainLine, Queen Latifah, John Mayer, and Elmo are teaming up for a new prime-time special entitled "Coming Home: Military Families Cope with Change." The new half-hour special is scheduled to air on April 1, 2009 on PBS - check your local listings for details. The program will tell the stories of U.S. service members who return home with injuries, both visible and invisible, and explores the struggles that their families face.

Children and Concusssions: ABC Video

   ABC News has produced an interesting video featuring the new Journal of Pediatrics article on Concussions which finds that up to 25% of children are at risk for prolonged symptoms following a concussion.  The video features an interview with the study author and other important information on concussions. Watch the concussion video . Thanks to my friend and TBI survivor advocate, Ralph Shields from Albany, New York for bringing this to my attention.

Pediatric Brain Injury Lecture

The Brain Trauma Foundation is sponsoring a live, interactive web based lecture on BioMarkers in Pediatric TBI: From Understanding Mechanisms to Guiding Therapy on April 1st 2009 from 12:00 to 1:00 EST  For more information go to the brain trauma foundation web site.

TV Special: Concussion in Sports This Tuesday Evening

This Tuesday, March 2nd, "Dan Rather Reports" will present a special investigation into what The Centers for Disease Control is calling an epidemic among children in sports - head injuries and concussions. The program will be aired on the HD network which is available on many cable TV networks and through DirectV

According to the report, tt is believed that an alarming 41% of high school athletes who suffered an initial concussion are returned to active play too soon.

Last year, five high school football players died during games, or at practices, from getting a concussion on top of another concussion -- a condition known as "second impact syndrome." Additionally, countless children also suffer the very serious side effects of second impact syndrome.

One of those children is Zack Lystedt of Seattle. With his parents watching in the stands, Zack suffered two concussions in the same football game. As a result of these injuries, he was airlifted from the football field to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center where he spent a week in the ICU, three months in a coma and had surgeries on both sides of his brain.  Zack will be featured in the report.

While football has the highest rate of concussions by far, athletes in baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, hockey, wrestling, gymnastics, lacrosse, volleyball and cheerleading all have more concussions than are generally realized.

"Dan Rather Reports - Knocking Heads" premieres on HDNet on Tuesday, March 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET with an encore presentation at 11:00 p.m. PT to accommodate West Coast prime time.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Falls: Web Cast

Falls in the elderly population is an increasing problem as the U.S. population ages. Recent statistics furnished by the CDC confirm that one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injury are falls, especially in older adults.

A web cast is scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 2:00 E$T - 3:00 EST to explore the issues of fall prevention and traumatic brain injuries.  The program is a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health.

The goals of this program are to:

1. Increase awareness and understanding of the impact that falls and fall injuries, especially traumatic brain injury (TBI), have among older adults and on our health care system, and

2. Promote a national dialogue on using evidence-based interventions in communities across the United States to prevent falls and fall injuries such as TBI among older adults.

Register today for the brain injury and fall web cast.