KBIA 10 Years

D00

1571

701

S2 Kamloops Daily News THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2013

Gur Singh Invitational celebrates milestone

The Annual Gur Singh Invi-tational Golf Tournament is celebrating its 10th anni-

versary in 2013. The tournament steering committee has set its sights on hitting the $1-million mark for total donations since the tournament began in 2004. Over the years, the tournament has be-come a powerhouse fundraiser in-spiring Kamloops citizens and businesses to help people who are living with a brain injury in our community.

But like many great initiatives, it started small. Actually, it start-ed as a conversation at an Indo-Canadian Link dinner in 2003, where Dr. Vishwanath Malliah made an off-hand comment to Dr. Gur Singh suggesting Dr. Singh start a golf tournament to help the Kamloops Brain Injury Associ-ation (KBIA). Dr. Singh had not heard of KBIA, but he was in-trigued. He also liked to golf.

A separate conversation with head nurse of the Neuro unit and board member of KBIA, Mary Dmytriw, assured Dr. Singh that KBIA was a worthy recipient and

that they provided critical support for survivors of brain injury in the Kamloops community. The seed was planted.

Dr. Singh rallied a group of en-thusiastic supporters, including Dr. Malliah who served as co-chair of the tournament steering committee, and Dr. Bob Smillie who helped put on the first tour-nament in 2004. The steering committee’s vision remains the same: to create a memorable ex-perience for the golfers, donors, sponsors and participants while focusing on supporting survivors of brain injury and their families.

The first tournament was held at Rivershore Golf Links where golfers played one round of what remains Kamloops only stroke play golf tournament.

w Continued on following page

Goal is to reach $1-million in total donations following 2013 event

“The TournamenT has grown and is now raising more Than $100,000 each year for The KBia.

daily news file photo

S3Kamloops Daily NewsTHURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2013

These philanthropist golfers mean business. They raised about $17,000 for the KBIA that first year. Over the next few years, the donations increased along with the reputation of this Kamloops-exclusive fund-raiser. Golf spots are filled every year. By 2006 the tournament added another round of golf to accommodate new players.

In 2010 the tournament moved to The Dunes at Kamloops. The tournament had grown and was now raising over $100,000 each year for KBIA, while providing fun competitive golf for the play-ers. The tournament’s morning round provides fun scramble play

while the afternoon round is for bragging rights. Awards are hand-ed out during the evening recep-tion and dinner. The committee treats its players to a day of great golf, great food and drink, laugh-ter, and fosters a sense of pride in being part of, and helping, our home community.

From a casual conversation, Dr. Singh has inspired golfers, businesses and volunteers to give money to support KBIA for a decade through the Annual Gur Singh Invitational Golf Tournament. He has truly made a huge difference in the lives of people living with an acquired brain injury.

After 10 years, the Gur Singh Invitational Golf

Tournament is stronger than ever. Held this year at The

Dunes in Westsyde, the annual tournament is the largest fundraiser for the

Kamloops Brain Injury Association, bringing in

more than $100,000 annually. This year it is

expected the year to date total will top $1 million. This would not be possible were it not for the commitment of

the community and the support of local businesses.

Tournament fills up each year

Photography by Kent Wong


Surviving a car crash only half the battleThere are lots of things Gary

Mattioli has trouble re-membering, but the story

of the night that changed his life forever is not one of them.

Mattioli was a young man — just 37 years old � and working as a heavy-duty mechanic for Afton Mine on Dec. 23, 1983. It was the last shift before Christmas and when he finished his 12 hours, he got into his four-by-four truck and headed home, planning to pick up a Christmas tree on route.

Mattioli lived near Paul Lake; he grew up in the area, and his parents were still living just down the road.

“I’d driven that road since I was 16,” he says.

But that night a deer jumped out in front of the truck, so he swerved, missing the deer and hit a tree instead.

“The first fellow that came along didn’t do anything because he thought I was dead. The sec-ond guy worked for CP Rail and had just finished a first aid course. He got me out of my truck and into his,” Mattioli says, ac-knowledging that this is the story he’s been told. He has no memory of the crash.

He spent 18 days in a coma fol-lowing the crash, and a further 18 months in hospital recuperat-ing.

When he woke from the coma, he was a changed man.

“I didn’t have memory of hardly anything. I didn’t even really know who my mom was. She seemed familiar.”

He had what doctors called “a compact skull fracture.” Follow-ing the brain injury, he had to learn to walk again. Nearly 30 years later, he says, his balance is “fairly good.”

But life never returned to nor-mal for Mattioli.

“I went back to work at the mine for a bit, and it wasn’t so bad there,” he says, but when that job ended he struggled to find permanent employment.

“To get back working in truck shops was pretty hard with my lack of confidence,” he says. He

was also in denial, refusing to ac-cept there was anything wrong with him.

“There’s a sense of pride,” he says, reflecting on the journey he was forced to take.

“I think about it quite a lot,” he says, remembering back to the night of the accident. “I wish I had broken both my arms in-stead.”

The accident didn’t take his life, but it certainly altered Mattioli’s path, and he’s grateful for the as-sistance of the Kamloops Brain Injury Association for keeping him moving forward.

“They’ve helped me through a lot of tough times, both life skills-wise, and legal-wise.”

Advocacy key to supporting brain injury survivors

Gary Matt iol i depended on the Kamloops Brain Injury Association after a car crash altered his life in 1983.

Your loved one has been in an accident or has had a stroke. They have sustained a brain injury. What does that mean? Broken arms and legs can be seen and are almost always reparable. An acquired brain injury (ABI) can’t be seen in most circumstances, is often irreparable, and the effects can be huge and life-long.

Your loved one is an ABI survi-vor. They may never truly be

healed or return to being the per-son they were before the injury. Now what do you do?

After any immediate medical concerns are addressed, the next most important thing someone with a brain injury needs is an advocate. An advocate is some-one, or often multiple people, that can help assess the survivor’s day to day needs, their ability to obtain those needs, and, if neces-

sary, help them get the things they need.

If the brain injury was caused by an event where the law deems there is a party legally culpable for the harm, then a specialized personal injury lawyer will be one of the survivor’s advocates. The lawyer’s role is to document the changes or harm suffered by the survivor to provide a pre-inju-ry/post-injury evaluation. The

lawyer will utilize a team of spe-cialists or medical advocates, which may include a neurologist, a neuropsychologist, a psychia-trist, and a community occupa-tional therapist. The lawyer and medical practitioners advocate for the survivor’s legal and health rights.

A survivor’s day to day advoca-cy needs are usually fulfilled by a family member. Education and

support for family members is key. The Kamloops Brain Injury Association provides education, prevention programs, survivors’ support groups, caregivers’ sup-port groups, and one on one sup-port. As needed, the KBIA will provide life skills training, advo-cacy, and crisis intervention.

If you or a loved one has sus-tained a brain injury, the KBIA can help you.


DEAR MOM AND DAD

TO THE CITIZENS OF KAMLOOPS

ARJUN SINGH WITH PARENTS

DR. GUR SINGH AND MANJU SINGH

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the incredible support and example. I feel extraordinarily lucky to be your son. Congratulations on your amazing work in support of brain injury survivors and in support of brain injury prevention!with all my love,

ARJUN

Thank you for giving me the huge honour to serve on your city council!If ever you have any questions, ideas, or concerns on community issues, please do not hesitate to contact me at (250) 574-3509 or [email protected]. You are also welcome to visit my community blog, www.yourkamloops.com, and to follow me on twitter, @ARJUNSINGH.very best

ARJUN

D00

1611

679

Workplace injury devastating for victim They don’t discriminate and

they can happen at any moment.

A moment of inattention and that’s it, life as it had been is now over. The person you used to be, gone completely.

Caroline Johnson knows this all too well. Three years ago she went in for a regular shift at work. She turned, smashed her head into a steel door frame and lost consciousness for no more than five seconds.

“Someone said it sounded like a baseball hitting a bat,” she says, recalling the accident.

Doctors said she had a severe concussion, called it a “complicat-ed injury,” and said there was lit-tle they could do to help her.

As a result of the injury, the then-24-year-old couldn’t work.

She couldn’t feel hot or cold, couldn’t taste or smell. The work-er’s compensation board sent her for physiotherapy and some reha-bilitation, but it didn’t help much. Eventually, her family took her to Vancouver where she found some success with naturopathic treat-ments, but those were costly.

Her symptoms were so severe at the beginning that she couldn’t walk from the couch to the front

door without becoming exhaust-ed. She slept all the time.

“I loved bowling, but I had to stop. I loved crafts, but couldn’t do those either.”

The injury was devastating for the young woman; the one bright light took place when her son was born, eight months ago. But de-spite her love for her child, she’s also facing many hurdles.

And that’s where the Kamloops Brain Injury Association comes in.

While Johnson has the support of family and friends, the KBIA is there beside her when she needs an advocate to help her navigate through the Ministry of Children and Family Development, as well as through WCB.

“They listen. There’s another ear there,” she says of the help

she receives. “When you’ve got a brain inju-

ry, where do you turn? Where do I turn for support with my child? If the support wasn’t there I don’t know how I would survive,” Johnson says.

And more than advocacy, she has a place to go where she no longer feels alone, and where there are people who know ex-actly what she is going through.

“I don’t like saying this, but sometimes I feel like it was my fault. That the brain injury was my fault,” she says, quietly.

But when she arrives at the KBIA she feels acceptance, and she’s heartened that there are others who are worse off than she is, and who still manage to find joy in the day to day, so that gives her hope for the future.

Caroline Johnson says she feels accepted by the Kamloops Brain Injury Association, and has learned to be grateful despite facing chal-lenges.

“where do you Turn? where do i Turn for supporT wiTh my child? if The supporT wasn’T There i don’T Know how i would survive.”

—caroline johnson, Brain injury survivor


Celebrating Survival

BY RAJESHwARi RAJimwAlE insight magazine

Progress in the medical field to treat brain injury has helped in lowering the death rate and improve recovery, but survivors still face many challenges.

“The biggest challenge for brain injury survivors is facing the social consequences,” said Dr. Gur Singh, a retired neurosurgeon and founder of the Gur Singh Invitational Golf tournament. “Survivors realize the effects of injury and the fact that they are dependent on others for even the smallest functions of their day-to-day life activities. This causes severe depres-sion amongst them.”

As a retired neurosurgeon Dr. Singh wanted to help his brain injured patients.

“In 2003 with the support of the Kamloops Brain Injury Association (KBIA), I was successful in start-

Annual dinner raises awareness, funds


On May 31, leading into June which is Brain Injury Awareness Month, the community came out to support the Kamloops Brain Injury Association in a big way. Held at Thompson Rivers University, the 2013 Celebrating Survival Dinner raised in excess of $55,000 which will be used to support those living with brain injury in Kamloops.

Photography by Kent Wong

ing the Gur Singh Invitational Golf Tournament. The tournament is a fundraising event for the survivors. What started as a conversation with one of my friends has seen great success over the years. We are now into 10th year of this fundraising tournament.”

As a part of the fundraising Dr. Singh and his team also host the annual Celebrating Survival Din-ner, held on May 31 at the TRU Grand Hall.

“This year alone we raised $55,000 approximately which will be donated to the cause,” says Dr. Singh.

The theme of the dinner this year was Princely In-dia. It was an amalgamation of Indian cuisine and entertainment. The highlight of the evening was the live auction. The dinner saw a huge turnout in sup-port of the Kamloops Brain Injury Association.

“It has been an absolute pleasure in associating with the Gur Singh Invitational Golf Tournament and the Celebrating Survival Dinner,” says Terry-Lynn Stone, executive director, Kamloops Brain Inju-ry Association.

KBIA helps survivors and their families by offering specialized programs and life skills education.

“Look at survivors as real people,” says Stone. “Treat them like individuals. Don’t sympathize or pity them. Learn to empathize with the survivors.”


MEDIA SPONSORS:LEAD SPONSORS: PLATINUM SPONSORS:

Printing donated by: Designed by:

Donate Online at kbia.ca

Helping people with acquired brain injury live to their full potential.One-on-One Lifeskills

Facilitated Support Groups

Community Education

Prevention Programs

LARGEST CHARITY GOLF EVENT IN KAMLOOPS

September 6, 2013 The Dunes At KamloopsTwo rounds: Morning – 7pm Registration

7:45am Start of Best Ball TournamentAfternoon – 11am Registration

12:45pm Start of Afternoon Stroke Play–––––––––––––––––

Putting Contest, Hole in One PrizesBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Reception Included

––––––––––––––––– For registration details please contact Gur Singh at 250-372-4856


MEDIA SPONSORS:LEAD SPONSORS: PLATINUM SPONSORS:

Printing donated by: Designed by:

Donate Online at kbia.ca

Helping people with acquired brain injury live to their full potential.One-on-One Lifeskills

Facilitated Support Groups

Community Education

Prevention Programs

LARGEST CHARITY GOLF EVENT IN KAMLOOPS

September 6, 2013 The Dunes At KamloopsTwo rounds: Morning – 7pm Registration

7:45am Start of Best Ball TournamentAfternoon – 11am Registration

12:45pm Start of Afternoon Stroke Play–––––––––––––––––

Putting Contest, Hole in One PrizesBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Reception Included

––––––––––––––––– For registration details please contact Gur Singh at 250-372-4856


Risky lifestyle leads to traumatic brain injuryIt had been raining and the

wooden stairs were slippery on that March morning so many

years ago. As if that weren’t treacherous

enough, Pam Kilgour had been drinking. A lot. She put her foot on the top step and down she went. She fell 13 stairs until the landing, leaned over to grab the handrail, and fell another 13 stairs, this time landing head-first on concrete.

In hospital, doctors gave her what she calls “a full cranial,” where they removed three quar-ters of her skull to stop the hem-orrhaging and to remove all the blood clots. She was in a coma and wasn’t expected to recover.

Five days later, however, she woke up, and after a matter of days, most of her faculties re-turned.

She was 40 years old when she took that fall. Life had been fairly complicated for Kilgore before the accident — an admitted drug addict — and it didn’t get any easier after.

A few years after the accident she broke one hip, then it wasn’t long after she broke another. Be-cause of the brain damage she suffered in the original fall she ended up with further neurologi-cal damage after surgery to re-pair her hip.

But despite serious mobility is-sues that require her dependence on a scooter to get around, she’s still able to laugh. She’s still able to see the bright side.

“I’ve been sober five years,” Kilgore says.

Getting drug and alcohol free was one of Kilgore’s goals when she first came to Kamloops Brain Injury Association. KBIA’s sup-port made all the difference.

And having cleaned up, those services have been a lifesaver, she says.

A case worker at the KBIA helped find Kilgore an apartment in a safe, drug free building. They’ve helped her with her food and meal planning, as well as giv-en financial advice.

“I know I’d have either gone back to using or drinking, or I’d be dead,” Kilgore says matter-of-factly about how vital the services of the KBIA have become in her life.

“They linked me up with every-body. They saved my life.”

And best of all, she says: “They don’t blame me or make me feel stupid.”

The Kamloops Brain Injury As-sociation (KBIA) was formed in 1986 by a group of concerned in-dividuals aware of the consider-able need to provide support to persons with brain injury and their families, and to increase awareness about brain injury within the community at large.

The society incorporated in 1990 as The Kamloops Head Inju-

ry Association, and in 1996 changed its name to the Kam-loops Brain Injury Association.

Behind these simple facts lie many changed and often devas-tated lives.

The meetings, which were at first held monthly in the board room of HMZ Law, later became weekly meetings held in a small room at Royal Inland Hospital.

When the need for information and support grew exponentially and survivors were looking for more continuous service, KBIA became a stand-alone organiza-tion, finally growing into the agency that citizens of Kamloops have become familiar with on Victoria Street.

One of the driving forces for the creation of KBIA was the real

dearth of information available on brain injury recovery.

Survivors were commonly told they were “better” or “cured,” or that they were as good as they were going to get so they had bet-ter get on with life.

Far too often it was implied that these survivors might be looking for sympathy or even malinger-ing. Speaking to survivors who

suffered their injuries 15 or more years ago, many will tell you their friends, their employers and even their families thought they “weren’t trying to get better.”

Today we know better; and KBIA is grateful for all the sup-port and generosity shown by the community of Kamloops. For more information about the KBIA, visit www.kbia.ca.

Pam Kilgour says without the sup-port of KBIA she’d have gone back to using drugs or would be dead by now.

“(The KBia) linKed me up wiTh everyBody. They saved my life. They don’T Blame me or maKe me feel sTupid.”

—pam Kilgour, Brain injury survivor

A simple history of the KBIA; a story of hope


The startling statistics about brain injury

Four Points by Sheraton Kamloops

fourpoints.com/kamloops1175 ROGERS WAY

250.374.4144 • 1.800.368.7764

D00

1610

401 Get the style and service you

want, all at a great price. Plan ahead to lock in our best available dates and rates.

Of all types of injury, brain injury is the most likely to result in permanent dis-

ability or death. Recognized throughout the world as a prob-lem of epidemic proportions, it is considered a silent epidemic be-cause of its cognitive nature.

There are no reliable estimates of acquired brain injuries in Can-ada today, so many of the current statistics are extrapolated from American data; however this data is compatible and relevant for Ca-nadian population estimates.

According to the United States Centre for Disease Control, brain injury from trauma alone (not in-cluding stroke, aneurysm, tu-

mors, infections, toxins, surgical procedures or drugs and alcohol occur at a rate of 166,455 in Can-ada and 22,000 in B.C. each year.

The incidence are even higher in children, with 795 out of 100,000 children suffering a brain injury annually.

Fast facts about brain injury:w One person is injured every

three minutes in Canadaw The highest incidence of trau-

matic injury is in young men aged 16-24

w Occurs at 100 times the rate of spinal cord injury

w Kills more children (up to 20 years) than all other causes com-bined

w Close to four per cent of the population lives with a brain in-jury

w In excess of 160,000 people living in B.C. are living with a permanent disability from brain injury

w A significant number of missed cases, misdiagnosis or misattribution has been reported in the literature making stagger-ing estimates truly epidemic in proportion

w Once a brain injury occurs, the consequences can include a complex variety of physical, cog-nitive and behavioural problems. Without significant physical inju-ries, brain injury can be misdiag-

nosed or even missed completely w Cognitive difficulties are not

always obvious, but can have devastating consequences.

w 53 per cent of homeless peo-ple have a brain injury—the vast majority, 77 per cent were in-jured prior to becoming home-less

w 82 per cent of the prison pop-ulation lives with a disability as a result of a traumatic brain injury

w Up to 10 per cent of all chil-dren have an undiagnosed brain injury affecting learning abilities

w 20 per cent of children diag-nosed with emotional disabili-ties have a brain injury

w 30 per cent of children classi-

fied as learning disabled have a brain injury

w Following a brain injury, peo-ple are seven times more likely to develop mental illness

w People living with a brain in-jury often present complex and difficult to service profiles

w Traditional service strategies based on motivational or behav-iour management strategies are ineffective for people living with cognitive disabilities from a brain injury

w Brain injury is a permanent chronic condition that plays a sig-nificant “gateway” role in the de-velopment of other costly health and social issues

CONGRATULATIONSon celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Gur Singh Golf Tournament.

D00

1634

234

YourNewsNow.ca

Proud Media Sponsor for the Survivor Dinner

Brain injury is a permanent, chronic condition, and people with injuries often develop other conditions


Concussion: Prevention and educationConcussion — it’s a com-

monly used term, but how many of us actually know

what a concussion looks like, what the symptoms are, and what to do to prevent one in the first place?

Concussions are common. A Statistics Canada report found that in 2009-2010, an estimated 98,440 people, or 2.4 per cent of the population aged 12 and over, sustained a head injury. Of those, 57 per cent were working-age adults, 23 per cent were adoles-cents and 20 per cent were se-niors.

Unlike a broken arm, however, the symptoms of a concussion vary widely and often go unre-ported. According to Stopconcus-sions.com, a national non-profit organization aimed at educating people about brain injury, 66 per cent of teenagers who suffered a concussion did not feel it was seri-ous enough to report the injury to an adult.

One of the reasons concussions so often go unreported is because no two head injuries look the same.

A concussion occurs when the head or body is hit hard. Normal-ly, the fluid around the brain acts as a cushion and keeps the brain from banging into the skull. But if

the head or body is hit hard enough, the brain can crash into the skull and become injured. A direct blow to the face, neck or elsewhere on the body can cause a concussion if the force of impact is transmitted to the head.

There are many ways to sus-tain a concussion: fights, falls, playground injuries, car crashes and bike accidents. Concussions are also fairly common while participating in sports, including soccer, hockey, football, boxing and skiing.

Symptoms of a concussion can include haziness, grogginess, im-paired motor skills, blurred vi-sion, headache, loss of memory, nausea or vomiting. These symp-toms can occur immediately or up to 48 hours after the incident.

Recognition and proper man-agement of a concussion can help in the recovery and prevention of further injury or even death.

It may not be possible to com-pletely prevent a concussion from occurring, but steps can be taken to reduce your risk of injury:

w Wear a seat belt every time you drive or ride in a vehicle.

w Never drive when you’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol

w Wear a helmet and safety equipment when you ride a bike, or play sports such as baseball,

hockey and football. A helmet should always be worn when you drive or ride on a motorcycle, scooter, snowmobile or ATV.

w Make your home safer to pre-vent falls

Reduce your child’s chance of getting a concussion by:

w Use child car seats and boost-er seats correctly

w Teach your child bicycle safetyw Teach your child how to be

safe around streets and carsw Teach your child playground

safety

daily news file photoMichelle Maglisceau is doing everything right when she climbs with her children Tyler and Laia at the Brocklehurst playground. It’s important to teach your children playground safety to avoid falls.

daily news file photoHelmets, like the one worn here by Lachlan Sillitoe, are essential for preventing head injury.


KBIA works hard to support survivorsIf you ask the general public

what they’ve heard about the Kamloops Brain Injury Associa-

tion (KBIA), they may mention the golf tournament and the Cele-brating Survival Dinner, but there is so much more to KBIA. While both the golf tournament and the dinner are vitally important, they’re really a means to an end.

KBIA exists exclusively to serve the needs of brain injury survi-vors, to support survivors’ fami-lies and caregivers, and to provide education on injury prevention to the Kamloops community at large.

KBIA provides brain injury sur-vivors with one-on-one life skills services which include every as-pect of daily living from budget-ing on a low income to learning memory strategies, from learning to take transit to navigating the medical system. KBIA provides information for caregivers, sub-stance abuse and emotional man-agement for clients, as well as support groups that include peer support. Social and cognitive sup-port is especially important as survivors often have poor self-es-teem, so KBIA offers therapeutic art classes too. KBIA encourages community integration through wellness programs as well as so-cial events.

The educational programs target at-risk youth in various school and university programs. A large com-ponent of our education program is focused on the Kamloops com-munity to raise awareness of brain injury and accident prevention.

Of course, it costs money for qualified staff to provide these useful services. Like so many non-profit organizations, KBIA is very adept at achieving a great deal on a very limited budget, but even so, they are always short of funds.

KBIA receives funding from sev-eral sources, including the Interi-or Health Authority (IHA). A con-tract with the IHA requires KBIA to provide service to brain injured survivors between the ages of 19 and 65 years. Sixty per cent of this service is to be offered one-on-one to individuals; 30 per cent goes toward group offerings, and 10 per cent is to be used for edu-cation and injury prevention.

Until recently, this contract was renewed annually. In 2012, the IHA provided KBIA with a three-year contract. Once considered a main source of funding, the IHA has advised KBIA not to consider this as core funding. Ongoing cuts and other demands within the IHA mean that this funding can never be considered secure.

See STRONG on page S15

The Kamloops Brain Injury Association and clients, pictured at top, have long been located at 408 Victoria St. The KBIA relies on community dona-tions and volunteer support in order to provide services to those in need.


Car crashes, falls are leading cause of brain injuryDR. RicHARD BRowNlEE Neurosurgeon

In Kamloops, approximately 650 major head injuries occur per year with approximately 50

deaths caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI). Motor vehicle acci-dents and falls are the leading cause of TBI in Canada. Firearm-related trauma is a common cause of TBI in the United States.Who suffers brain injuries?

TBI affects people of all ages, from infants to the elderly. Brain injuries affect males twice as of-ten as women with the highest in-cidence occurring in young men between 15 and 24 years of age. The next highest group are men over the age of 60. More young men die from their injuries be-cause they suffer more severe in-juries, such as motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle accidents and falls. What happens to the brain?

Damage to the brain occurs in two stages. First, there is the im-mediate damage caused by the traumatic event. This is followed by a period of secondary damage which is caused by decreased blood flow, lack of oxygen or in-creased pressure in the skull. Damage is also caused by chemi-cals that are released in the brain at the time of the injury.

How are brain injuries treated?The goal of treatment is to min-

imize the amount of secondary damage. This is often done by performing operations to relieve pressure on the brain and by pro-viding oxygen from a ventilator and improving blood flow with medication. The length of stay in hospital can be a few days to more than six months.

Treating patients with TBI costs over $2 billion per year in Canada. What are the symptoms of TBI?

TBIs are classified as mild, moderate or severe. The severe injuries are easy to detect and are represented in the numbers above. However, a lot of minor brain injuries go undetected or unreported.

Sports concussions are often considered mild, but some peo-

ple can have long-lasting symp-toms or permanent effects. Symptoms of mild traumatic brain injuries can include head-aches, vision problems, fatigue, poor concentration, short-term memory problems and behav-ioural changes. These symptoms can affect a person’s ability to work; their performance in school; and their interactions with family, friends and co-workers.

Severe brain injuries can result in long periods of coma; paraly-sis; and speech, comprehension, coordination and balance prob-lems which can affect mobility. Many people with severe TBI never return to the work force. Many become dependent on their family or on social assis-tance. What are the consequences of

a brain injury?Unfortunately, there are many

people who suffer mild to moder-ate brain injuries which go unde-tected. The person experiences a change in their ability to perform tasks that previously came natu-rally. This can involve activities such as paying bills, preparing meals, finding and retaining a job or being in a relationship.

Being labelled with a traumatic brain injury can change how a person is viewed by his or her peers and by society. This often leads brain injured people to withdraw from social interaction and can lead to drug and alcohol dependence. Because many head injury survivors have difficulty finding or retaining a job this of-ten leads to financial hardship and homelessness.What can be done?

A major goal to minimize the number of head injuries is pre-vention. Implementing seat belt laws and helmet laws have im-proved survival and reduced the severity of traumatic brain inju-ries. However, there is still a long way to go.

Assistance is also needed for people who have suffered a trau-matic brain injury. Housing, emo-tional support, education for the survivor and their family, em-ployment retraining and job as-sistance are badly needed but are often not available because of lack of government funding.

Fortunately, we live in a com-munity that does offer assistance through the Kamloops Brain Inju-ry Association (KBIA). This non-profit organization provides pro-grams, education and a place where people who have suffered a brain injury and their families can interact.

KBIA is highly dependent on funding from sources like the An-nual Gur Singh Invitational Golf tournament, the Celebrating Sur-vival Dinner and the United Way. They receive some funding from government sources, but it is se-verely limited. I applaud KBIA for the assistance that they offer and for their professional staff who do such a wonderful job.

“housing, emoTional supporT, educaTion for The survivor and Their family, employmenT reTraining and joB assisTance are Badly needed BuT are ofTen noT availaBle Because of lacK of governmenT funding.”

—dr. richard Brownlee, neurosurgeon


Continued from page S13KBIA considers its relationship

with IHA to be a good one, and works closely with the Acquired Brain Injury program to ensure brain injured survivors are well served.

A partnership between KBIA and the United Way Thompson, Nicola, Cariboo, provides funding for a front office coordinator and for brain injured survivors who are over 65 years of age. This funding ensures that as survivors age, they are not reliant on non-specific services as their needs

naturally increase. The office co-ordinator is a front line worker who reviews all requests for ser-vice, ensuring that those most in need are seen first. This partner-ship with the United Way has provided the funds to ensure KBIA can maximize its services while minimizing costs. The rec-ognition by the United Way that non-profit organizations are starved for operating funds dem-onstrates their clear view of soci-ety’s needs.

Most of the rest of KBIA’s fund-ing comes from one-time or occa-

sionally repeat donations from organizations, foundations and businesses.

This year, KBIA received funds from TELUS, The City of Kam-loops Social Planning Grant, the Conconi Foundation and the Roy-al Bank of Canada. Without these donations, many of our programs — especially those programs aimed at education and preven-tion — would not be possible.

What may not be immediately obvious is how KBIA struggles to find money for operational funds. Almost none of KBIA’s rent, com-

puter, telephone, cellphone or other general business expenses are covered by funding. This leaves a big gap in the budget—to say nothing of trying to fund di-verse activities for survivors. Ev-erything KBIA tries to do to make survivors’ and their families’ lives better, costs money.

Enter the Celebrating Survival Dinner and the Annual Gur Singh Invitational Golf Tournament. Without the support of individuals, businesses and organizations for these events, KBIA simply couldn’t provide the services it does.

Brain injury isn’t top-of-mind like many other afflictions, yet more young people die of brain injury than all other causes com-bined. The cost to society of even one brain injury is huge—yet KBIA is always short of funds.

If you can help, either through supporting the events, or with a donation made directly to KBIA, survivors and staff will be very grateful. Your donation will stay in Kamloops and will be stretched to the limit to provide services for people who far too often fall through the cracks.

Strong partnership between KBIA and United Way

Brain injured find support through KBIA programs

Kamloops Brain Injury As-sociation works to provide support to all of its clients,

and does so by tailoring pro-grams to meet their needs. Some of these programs include:Women’s Support Group

KBIA offers a support group especially for women dealing with the effects of a brain injury. The group is aimed at providing a safe, respectful environment where women can feel a sense of self-empowerment.Substance Use and Brain Injury

This group focuses on helping survivors understand the after

effects of a brain injury and how substances can be a debilitating factor during recovery.Emotional Management

This group is set up in a series of sessions that are aimed at helping survivors cope with their emotions following a brain injury.Stained Glass Therapeutic Art Program

Through the design and build-ing of stained glass projects members develop important functioning and motor skills.Bead Work Class

This group offers a creative outlet to sharpen patience and motor skills through a variety of beading projects.Financial Management

This series of sessions original-ly facilitated by the SIFE stu-dents at Thompson Rivers Uni-versity is aimed at helping survi-vors manage and understand their finances.Fraud Prevention Workshop

This is one-class workshop is at providing tools for survivors of acquired brain injury to recog-nize fraud and learn to protect themselves.

Pet PartnershipThis group aids survivors in car-

ing for their pets in the best possi-ble way. This program allows sur-vivors access to reduced veterinari-an fees related to procedures and medications.Music Group

This groups offers survivors the opportunity to learn to play instru-ments in a supportive environment with one-on-one instruction.Drop-in Group

Our drop-in group is an outlet for survivors to hang out, play some games, socialize and overcome any boredom.

cooper’s & Save-on Foods support KBiA

Visit Cooper’s Foods during the months of June and July and help support Kamloops Brain Injury Association. Shoppers are encouraged to donate Save-On More Points. Cooper’s and Save-On Foods will match the points, and all funds raised will go to support survivors of brain injury living in Kamloops.


David Marr Q.C. Tara Decker Kevin Cowan Corey Lencovic Joseph Zak

HMZ Law and the Kamloops Brain Injury Association have shared a close relationship since David Marr founded the Association in 1986. The fi rm is proud of its role in helping KBIA advocate for survivors and for ensuring survivors live to their full potential.

The partnership with the Gur Singh Golf Tournament plays an important role in the delivery of services to the brain injury community.

HMZ Law thanks and congratulates Gur for his incredible commitment to the betterment of Kamloops as a whole, and more specifi cally to the brain injury community.

If, as Picasso said, the meaning of life is to fi nd your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away, then Gur Singh lives a very successful life.

D00

1619

854

“We care about your future”A team of experienced professionals sensitive to the needs

of both the survivor and the family

We travel to you

Suite 600-175 Second Avenue, Kamloops, BC V2C 5W1

T. 250.372.1221 TF: 1.800.558.1933E: [email protected] • www.hmzlaw.com

Date post:	02-Mar-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	kamloops-daily-news
View:	229 times
Download:	0 times

KBIA 10 Years

Documents