Brain Matters - Kamloops Brain Injury Association

Notices
Kamloops Brain Injury Association
16
Joseph A. Zak
Kevin D. Cowan
David J. Marr, Q.C.
“We care about your future”
The Kamloops Brain Injury Association would
like to send out a very grateful shout to Tim
Hulsey for the wonderful work he did painting
our meeting room. Thanks to Tim’s volunteer
efforts, we now sport a really welcoming room
for all our meetings, drop I,n as well as countless other groups.
Thank you Tim. You really made a difference.
Brain Matters
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: 1.800.558.1933
E: [email protected]
www.hmzlaw.com
ADVERTISING
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For four issues (one year) 20% discount on
per issue price:
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Bead Class
Starts Thursday September 4th, 2014
1:30-3:30 pm
Every Thursday
Sign up with Rona at the front desk
In This
Editorial note:
The information provided in this newsletter is for educational
and informational purposes only. The opinions expressed
here are not necessarily those of the Kamloops Brain Injury
Association, its staff, or clients. Different views or opinions
may appear in future issues. Articles in this newsletter are
copyrighted and must not be reprinted without permission.
Issue
~Summer Activities
~Community Awareness Forum
~Gur Singh Invitational Golf Tournament
Kamloops Brain Injury Association
408 Victoria Street
Kamloops, BC V2C 2A7
250.372.1799
[email protected]
www.kbia.ca
Keeping up with KBIA
How can you help
15
2
If you’ve been keeping up with KBIA this summer,
you’ll know how busy we’ve been!
Apart from the usual group activities, survivors have
taken trips to Paul Lake and the Wildlife Park, attended
Music in the Park, and enjoyed an outing to Ribfest.
We were particularly gratified to see two survivors who
volunteered at Ribfest. Being part of such an event is
positive in itself, but it’s also a really important aspect of
belonging to a community. James Passmore worked as
a rib runner—taking orders from customers to be filled
by the ribbers. I saw James several times, and he always
had a smile on his face! Gary Mattioli also volunteered
each day of the event. Whenever I met Gary going about
his work in the general area, he always mentioned how
much he was enjoying himself. Well done, guys! You
helped make Ribfest the biggest—and best—family
event in Kamloops.
On the trip back from the Wildlife Park, staff were
shocked to be told that they couldn’t board the bus
because one of the survivors was in a wheelchair. The
bus was fitted with the necessary lift to take wheelchairs,
but the transit driver refused to pick the chair up, saying that he could only pick up where there was a curb.
Frustrated and annoyed, staff contacted BC Transit and
eventually, after reluctantly speaking to a supervisor, the
driver agreed—grudgingly—to load the wheelchair.
A BC Transit representative called KBIA and apologized, but we were still dissatisfied that a driver could
behave in such a discriminatory manner. Although BC
Transit in Kamloops claims to be fully accessible, it
appears that at bus stops where there are no curbs,
drivers are not obliged to pick up passengers. There is
no curb at the bus stop at the Wildlife Park. We wanted
to find a solution and thanks to BC Transit, we now
have one. BC Transit has agreed to move the bus stop to
outside the Wildlife Park gift shop where there is a curb.
So, from now on, everyone—able bodied and those in a
wheelchair—will be able to enjoy a day out to the Wildlife Park on transit. Thank you to everyone who made
this happen—and thank you to staff for handling the
situation so well.
September heralds the Annual Gur Singh Invitational
Golf Tournament in support of KBIA. Please see
pages 7-9 for details on this very important fundraiser; we hope to see you there—and don’t miss the
next newsletter for stories and photos of this great
event.
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THIS IMPORTANT WORK!
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Donations can also be made online
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People change over time and most change
is by choice.
The person I am is not the person I was.
Not over time, but in an instant, it all
changed.
I am different.
It wasn't my choice, it wasn't my fault, but
you treat me like it was.
The person I was died and I went to my
own funeral.
I am different.
You didn't like the person you saw in front
of you.
The person in the mirror wasn't me and I
didn't like her either.
But, I looked beyond the mirror and slowly
became the person I am.
If you hang on to the past, you die a little
each day;
once was enough for me.
I am different, but not by choice, so don't
reprimand me for being me.
I am different.
If you can't accept that, you can't accept me
and I can't accept that.
Sandee Rager
Laughter...the best medicine
Summer Students
3
14
"Bad day at the course," a guy tells his wife. "Charlie
had a heart attack on the third hole."
"That's terrible!" she says.
"You're telling me," the husband replies. "All day long,
it was hit the ball, drag Charlie."
A man was addressing the ball when an announcement came over the loud-speaker: "Will the gentleman
on hole number one please not hit from the Ladies' tee
box."
The man backs away, a little distracted, then approaches
his ball again. As he does, the same announcement
comes over the loud-speaker: "Will the gentleman on
hole number one please not hit from the Ladies' tee
box."
Our summer student, Holli Barker, joined us in June as our Recreation Coordinator. Holli is originally from
Ontario but moved to Kamloops when she was a young girl. She is going into her third year at Thompson Rivers
University with the goal of becoming an Adolescent Therapist.
KBIA has had a busy summer! Holli started off by giving a Brain Injury Awareness presentation to a group of
kindergarten students at Lloyd George Elementary. She has represented KBIA at many different community
events, including Aboriginal Celebration Day, the Farmers Market and the United Way Community Carnival.
Holli has organized many different groups throughout the summer. Our survivors have had the opportunity to
participate in Gardening Day, Food For Thought, Craft Day, Fraud Prevention, Hand Health, Therapy Dog Visits, Brain Buzz & Drop In. We have also had several different outings to places such as the Kamloops Art Gallery, Music in the Park, Bowling at Falcon Lanes, the Wildlife Park, Rib Fest and a day trip to Paul Lake.
As the summer ends, Holli is getting ready to go back to school. Her favourite thing about KBIA is the relationships that she has been able to form with the survivors. She had a great time attending all the events. She plans
on volunteering at KBIA throughout the school year.
Music in the Park
Paul Lake Picnic
United Way Community Carnival
Food For Thought
The man is getting irritated now, and after backing
away from his shot - approaches his ball one more time.
This time the announcement came: "We really need
the gentleman on hole number one to move off of the
Ladies' tee box!"
To which the man turns around and yells: "And I
really need the announcer to shut up and let me play my
second shot!"
To find a man's true character,
play golf with him.
P. G. Wodehouse
Statistics
Calendar
13
4
September 2014
Traumatic Brain Injury is the number one killer and disabler of young
Canadians under the age of 40.
Sunday
No reliable estimates have been completed in Canada to date. The USCDC keeps data relating to trauma-based
injury only (motor vehicle crashes, falls, sports related trauma, assault, etc). Other acquired injury (stroke, aneurysm, anoxic events, tumours, infections, toxins, surgical procedures, drugs and alcohol, electrocutions, arterial
venus malformations, etc.) is estimated to double incidence and prevalence rates.
Tuesday
Labor Day
2
Hot Yoga
2:00-3:00pm
1
The true numbers are staggering...
According to the US Center for Disease Control (USCDC) brain injury from trauma alone:
• occurs at an annual rate of 500/100,000 individuals (166,455 in Canada, and 22,000 in BC each year).
• affects 456 people every day; one person is injured every 3 minutes in Canada!
• occurs at a rate 100 times that of spinal cord injury.
• has a population prevalence in excess of 2% (700,000 in Canada; 80,000 in BC living with permanent
disability from brain injury).
• is the greatest killer under the age of 45, the greatest disabler under the age of 44, and kills more children
under the age of 20 than all other causes combined.
Monday
3
Brain Buzz
10-11:30 am
Thursday
4
Drop-In
1:30-3:30 pm
Bead class
1:30-3:30
7
14
8
15
What's the big deal?
• Annual incidence greater than Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Cord Injury, HIV/AIDS and Breast Cancer
combined!
• Annual cost estimated at $3 billion
• 53% of the homeless in Toronto report a history of traumatic brain injury; 72% of injuries occured prior
to being homeless
• Of 235 provincial prison inmates interviewed, 44% reported a history of traumatic brain injury.
Wednesday
9
Hot Yoga
2:00-3:00pm
16
Hot Yoga
2:00-3:00pm
10
Brain Buzz
10-11:30 am
Suicide
Awareness
and
Prevention
Day 11-1pm
at Riverside
Park
17
Brain Buzz
10-11:30 am
11
Drop-In
Friday
5
11th Annual
Gur Singh
Invitational
Golf
Saturday
6
Tournament
12
13
19
20
26
27
1:30-3:30 pm
Bead class
1:30-3:30
18
Drop-In
1:30-3:30 pm
Bead class
1:30-3:30
21
22
23
Hot Yoga
2:00-3:00pm
24
Brain Buzz
10-11:30 am
25
Drop-In
1:30-3:30 pm
Bead class
1:30-3:30
Taken from the Victoria Brain Injury Society Website: http://vbis.ca
28
29
30
Hot Yoga
2:00-3:00pm
Kamloops Brain Injury Association
Bruno Mars
Dr. Mark Holder
12
5
Bruno Mars serenades 11-year-old brain-injury survivor who used his music to heal
Bruno Mars wanted to make sure one special fan knew she is amazing just the way she is.
The pop star gave Zumyah Thorpe a well-deserved serenade Saturday after the 11-year-old survived a brain injury.
Thorpe endured months of mental and physical trials after sustaining a traumatic head injury with brain swelling
when a drunk driver crashed their pickup truck into her family’s Volkswagen Jetta last March, as first reported by
Cleveland.com. Her mother, who was pregnant, and two sisters did not survive the crash. Thorpe barely made it
through, with surgeons forced to remove a portion of her skull due to her injuries.
While the 28-year-old singer described Thorpe as “an inspiration to the world,” it was actually his music that
helped her to heal from the tragedy that left her with significant impairments to her motor and language skills.
“I am absolutely convinced that her learning to sing and singing those Bruno Mars songs and being able to say
‘Bruno Mars’ is in itself a miracle for her,” Dr. Nancy Bass, a pediatric neurologist at Cleveland’s UH Rainbow
Babies & Children’s Hospital, told WKYC.
101-474 Columbia Street
Kamloops, BC, V2C
T 250.828.6740
F 250.828.1423
“Knowing all the words to the songs has helped her recover and helped her to learn to actually have language,”
Bass added.
The “Locked Out of Heaven” singer learned of Thorpe’s story through social media and immediately wanted to
meet her.
They eventually met privately where Mars sang four songs for her and her family, and presented her with a teddy
bear. The tween also got a chance to watch Mars perform at his show in Cleveland on Saturday, where he serenaded her again with his hit “Just the Way You Are.”
“Tonight’s show was dedicated to this amazing young woman,” he captioned a photo of them together Saturday
night on Instagram with Thorpe smiling brightly. “I love you, Zumyah.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/bruno-mars-serenades-young-fan-injured-car-accident-article-1.1849519
Community Awareness Forum
ARCH Program
6
11
On August 15th, 2014, KBIA hosted our first
ever Community Awareness Forum. This event
was designed to bring together nonprofits and
businesses that aim to help make Kamloops a
better place for all. Bryce Herman was the keynote speaker.
Activity & Awareness Day
June is Brain Injury Awareness Month! On June
20th, KBIA put on our annual Activity & Awareness Day. We had a great day at Riverside Park
and enjoyed a BBQ, live entertainment, a bouncy
castle and fun games. It was a wonderful family
friendly day.
Affordable Recreation for Community Health
The City of Kamloops understands that recreation is an important part of healthy living. ARCH is a subsidy
program that provides an opportunity for individuals with a limited income to participate in a variety of recreational activities.
Who Qualifies?
You may qualify for ARCH if you are a permanent resident of the City of Kamloops and meet one of the options below:
Gardening Day had Survivors decorate pots and get
their hands dirty.
A. Receive Income Assistance from the Ministry of Social Development.
B. Have an annual income in the previous/current year that is below the Statistics Canada Low Income Guidelines. (see application form)
C. Receive a Canadian Pension or Long-term Disability that is below the Low Income Guidelines.
(see application form)
On August 5th, a group of Survivors enjoyed a
day at the BC Wildlife Park
Number in household 1 2 3 4
Household income 18,976 23,623 29,041 35,261
If you have any questions or you would like to apply for the ARCH program, please see your lifeskills worker
or ask Rona.
Tracking brain injury and disability
10
Brain injury is often described as a "silent epidemic," but is that because we're not listening?
The Brain Injury Association of Canada estimates that thousands of Canadians incur traumatic brain injuries each
year, the majority being young adults. But many will not receive adequate treatment or follow up for these injuries, particularly those with repeat mild concussions, because there's no consistent way to track the incidence and
impact of such trauma over time.
"People aren't reporting it, and if they do, those reports gets buried in their medical records, so unless they
remember every time they've had a concussion, there's no way to track backwards when behavioural and other
changes happens," says association Executive Director Harry Zarins.
He's calling for the creation of a national registry that would track both cases of injury and possible related disability. For example, "it would take into consideration a person's concussion at age 7 from hockey, and again at
age 10 playing football, as well as any subsequent misbehaviour or drop in academic performance."
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, mild traumatic brain injury is linked to increased
risk for persistent cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other financial,
social and emotional challenges.
Studies conducted in Ontario reveal that 23% of people in forensic psychiatric settings, 44% of provincial prison
inmates, and nearly half of Toronto's homeless population report a history of brain injury. Surveys done intern
ationally show higher proportions still, says Zarins, but it's impossible to know what to make of these links without lifetime surveillance.
There's already some discussion of creating an Ontario registry, says Dr. Lisa Fischer, chair of the Sport and
Exercise Medicine Program Committee at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Increasing media attention to concussion in sports has also raised public awareness of brain injury more generally, she says. But the
cost, time and infrastructure involved in establishing and maintaining a registry are major hurdles.
"It's hard to ask physicians in busy emergency departments to submit data to yet another registry; they need additional resources and personnel to do that," says Fischer.
Meanwhile, it would be challenging to mine data from existing electronic medical records because "there isn't
one system that communicates uniformly across the province, let alone the country," she says. "The big picture
just isn't there."
Long waits for specialist assessment and a dearth of objective diagnostic tools for concussion also complicate the
picture, says Zarins. "That's the scary part of it, because as a society we're not prepared to deal with the spectrum
of disabilities associated with brain injury."
http://www.cmaj.ca/site/earlyreleases/12aug14_tracking-brain-injury-and-disability.xhtml
Gur Singh Invitational Golf
Tournament
7
2014 Golf
Steering Committee
Arjun Singh
Brenda Aynsley
Cecilia Guerrero
Dave Marr
Debbie Clark
Denise Kranz
Derek Schreurs
Dr. Gur Singh
Dr. Krishna Parghi
Dr. Mosewich
Dr. Richard Brownlee
Edwin Mark
Gautum Parghi
Grayden Flanagan
Kelly Connor
Manju Singh
Mike Carroll
Mike Southerland
Rick McCallum
Rob Cupello
Rona Kozak
Rob Robertson
Sandy Watt
Shanah Skjeie
Simer Nijjer
Starr Carson
Terry-Lynn Stone
Wayne Girodat
Sponsors and donors are very important to many organizations, but sponsors
and donors have never been more important to an organization than ours are to
KBIA. Unlike organizations that provide services to those with cancer or spinal
cord injuries, brain injured survivors do not receive any government funding.
Thank you sponsors—we couldn’t do it without you! Gur Singh Invitational Golf
Tournament
Sponsors-2014
8
LEAD SPONSORS RBC Foundation/RBC Financial
Sunlife Financial
Mark’s Work Wearhouse
Coast Kamloops Hotel and Conference Centre
PLATINUM SPONSOR The Dunes at Kamloops
Eagle Point Golf Resort
MJB Law
Kamloops Honda
GOLD PLUS SPONSOR BDO Canada LLP
Chances Gaming Entertainment
GE Capital Solutions Kamloops Harley-Davidson Kamloops Neurosurgeons
KGHM Ajax Mining Inc.
Pattison Outdoor Advertising Plateau Construction Rogers Rental West Jet
GOLD SPONSOR BMO Harris Private Banking have BMO Financial Group
City Furniture & Appliances Cundari & Company Dearborn Ford
Dr. Rick Mehta/Westsyde Dental Centre Four Points by Sheraton Fulton & Company Glaicar Sanford Wealth Partners of RBC Dominion Securities
Glovers Medicine Centre
Graycon Group
Highland Valley Copper
Hampton Inn by Hilton/Comfort Inn Interior Plumbing & Heating Kamloops Surgical Centre
KPMG
Noran Printing
NRI Distributions
Pratt’s Compounding Pharmacy
RBC Dominion Securities (Colin Matthews) Riverbend
Rivercity Nissan
Rivershore Ram Chrysler Dodge Jeep Schoening Funeral Service Ltd.
Simply Computing
Subway
Telus Pulse Group Valley First Credit Union
Visual Signs & Awards Welcome Back Clinic Zimmer Autosport
SILVER SPONSOR
Apple Grove Dental / Dr. Justin Gill Airport Shuttle - Kamloops Airport Canadian Western Bank
Columbia Property Management
Coopers
Core Essentials
Corix Daley & Company LLP
Dixon Mitchell Dr. Cleland Dr. Michael Noble/Summit Eyecare Centre Dr. Rishiraj Dr. Russell Mosewich Earls Restaurants
Excel Industries
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited Heli Dynamics Ltd. / Riverside Helicopters Franco’s Auto Service/Lordco Frilan Appraisals LLP Interior Vault James Western Star Sterling Ltd
McCleaners Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge
No Limits Fitness Ltd.
Plainsman Construction Ltd Rowmac Orthopedic Services LTD. Western Roofing
ON COURSE
Booster Juice
Caffe Motivo Chapters
Earls Restaurants
Frick &Frack Indian Aroma Maurya’s Fine Indian Cuisine Paddlewheelers Lions Club Subway
Prestons
Booster Juice Spice A Taste of Indian Cuisine
Mama San
Dick Ford/Jazz Quartet
HUB/Southwest Glass 9
BRONZE SPONSOR Bob Gordon Capri Insurance
Dawson Construction Dr. Hallett
Dr. JF Chevalier
Dr. Iqbal Dhaliwal
Dr. Faradi
Dr. Rick Proctor
Edward Jones EZZZY MOVING
“John Deere Doug” Haughton Harman Lidder Realtor Royal Lepage Westwin
ICompass Technologies Inc. Investors Group
Jas Butalia
KBIA Kelson Group Ken J. Finnie Inc.
Kent Wong Photography
McCracken Station Pub and Liquor Store/Quality Inn
NU- Tech Fire& Safety
Paul & Company
RBC Dominion Securities-Frederick Feistmann
Riverside Small Animal Hospital
Robo Car Wash
Shuswap Nation Tribal Council
Suzanne McCloy
Troyco Contracting Ltd.
T’kemlips te Secwepemc
United Floors Watson & Haines Lawyers MEDIA
CFJC TV/B100/98.3 CIFM
Jim Pattison Broadcast Group
Kamloops This Week Radio NL