Brain Injury Lawyer - New York

Strategies for Teaching New Skills to Individuals with Brain Injury: Brain Injury Association of America Caregiver Webinar

Strategies for Teaching New Skills to Individuals with Brain Injury: Brain Injury Association of America Caregiver Webinar

March 6, 2014 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) 

Learning new skills is often one of the most challenging things for a person with a brain injury. This webinar, presented by Laura Turner, M.S., BCBA of the May Institute, we will focus on applied behavior analytic and evidence-based strategies that can assist in the process of learning and mastering new skills. Applied behavior analysis uses the basic principles of learning and systematic measurement to teach functional and meaningful skills to improve the quality of life of individuals with brain injury and their families. Register by 5:00 PM (ET) on March 4, 2014.  Click here to register.

Brainline Military February Newsletter

The February 2014 issue of the Brainline Military Newsletter is now on line.

topics of interest:

Using Art to Help Veterans with TBI and PTSD

Video: Don't Let Your Diagnosis Define You

Video: How Do You Help Patients with PTSD Regain Their Confidence

you can access the newsletter by clicking here.

The risk of concussions and soccer

In a paper published this week in the journal, Brain Injury, researchers conducting a review of the medical literature on the risks of concussions while playing soccer, warned that heading the ball in soccer and the long term consequences of repetitive heading needs further research and study.

With considerable attention being focused on the potential long-term cognitive and behavioral consequences for athletes who suffer acute or repeat concussions or multiple "sub-concussive" head impacts -- blows to the head not causing symptoms of concussions the researchers observed,   "The practice of heading, which might occur thousands of times over a player's career, carries unknown risks, but may uniquely contribute to cognitive decline or impairment in the short- or long-term," said Dr. Schweizer, a neuroscientist. "Thus, soccer players present a unique opportunity to study whether cumulative sub-concussive impacts affect cognitive functioning, similar to that of concussions."

The study looked at research papers that studied the incidence of concussion in soccer, and found that concussions accounted for 5.8 per cent to 8.6 per cent of total injuries sustained during games. One study found that 62.7 per cent of varsity soccer players had suffered symptoms of a concussion during their playing careers, yet only 19.2 per cent realized it.  Another found that 81.8 per cent of athletes who had suffered a concussion had experienced two or more and that players with a history of concussion had a 3.15 times greater odds of sustaining another one than those who had never had a concussion. One study found concussions sustained during soccer accounted for 15 per cent of the total number of concussions in all sports.  In particular, girls' soccer accounted for 8.2 per cent of sports-related concussions, the second highest sport after football.

Studies on the long-term effects of heading found greater memory, planning and perceptual deficits in forwards and defenders, players who execute more headers. One study found professional players reporting the highest prevalence of heading during their careers did poorest in tests of verbal and visual memory as well as attention. Another found older or retired soccer players were significantly impaired in conceptual thinking, reaction time and concentration. The few studies that used advanced imaging techniques found physical changes to the brains in players who had concussions.

Brain Injury Awareness Day 2014 in Washington DC

Brain Injury Awareness Day 2014

Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill will be on Wednesday March 12, 2014.

Here is the schedule of the day’s events:

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM              

Brain Injury Awareness Fair

First Floor Foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building

2:30 PM - 4:00 PM                

Briefing: "Returning to Work: Making Headway After Brain Injury"                                         

U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Meeting Room South

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM                

Reception Celebrating Brain Injury Awareness Month

The Gold Room 2168, Rayburn House Office Building

All are welcome to attend the day's events

If you plan to attend please make appointments with your Congressional  Representative and Senators to advocate for funding for TBI programs and research.

I hope to see you in Washington, D.C. this March!

Important request from the Brain injury Association of America--Protect access to rehabilitation care

NATIONAL CALL-IN CAMPAIGN 

TO PROTECT ACCESS TO REHABILITATION

 

ATTENTION DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION COMMUNITY:

 

Congress is currently debating behind closed doors how they will offset the cost of fixing the Medicare physician fee schedule which has been in need of reform for years.  One of the most likely targets to save money is by reducing funding and restricting access to rehabilitation services provided in inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and units as well as outpatient clinics.

 

These are the services that assist people in regaining health and function lost to illness or injury.  These cuts and restrictions in access to rehabilitation care would disproportionately impact people with disabilities, chronic conditions, and those with injuries and illnesses.  Without these services, fewer Medicare beneficiaries, including 8 million people UNDER age of 65, will be able to return to their homes and live as independently as possible.

 

Please call your Congressional Representative and two Senators TODAY and throughout February, toll-free, and tell Congress to protect access to inpatient hospital rehabilitation and outpatient therapy services.  Simply dial this toll free number:

 

1-888-254-3840

 

You will be provided instructions and talking points before you are patched through to the offices of your elected officials.  Tell your representatives:

• Do not      restrict access or cut funding for medical rehabilitation provided      in Inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and units, and Outpatient      clinics.  No more caps, cuts or restrictions in access to rehab!

Our timeline is very short. We need you to make these calls as soon as possible, and to spread the word to your family, friends, and colleagues.  The more calls to Congress from the disability and rehabilitation community, the greater protection of access to rehabilitation!

Brain Injury, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Secondary Education for Returning Service Members

Consequences of Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Post-Secondary Education among Service Members will be the subject of a webinar sponsored by The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) on February 6, 2014 3:00 p.m. ET..

The webinair will review etiology and symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD among returning service members; provide an overview of the transition, social, and academic experiences shared by many service members entering post-secondary education; explain how self-regulated learning and social-cognitive theory may be applied to study post-secondary outcomes; present findings from recent research illustrating the impact of TBI and PTSD on self-regulated learning; and offer suggestions for applying research findings to support improve learning and social outcomes for service members with TBI and/or PTSD.

Registration information can be obtained by clicking here.