Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Brain Injury Toolbox

The purpose of the Brain Injury Toolbox is to provide viewers with some tools they may find useful as they travel the road to recovery from a brain injury. Some tools included in this toolbox are educational films, reading material, and resources. The journey to recovery begins at the time of injury and may continue indefinitely. Every brain injury is different, and has its own unique pathway to recovery. The Brain Injury Toolbox has been developed to be a resource for the individual who has just sustained a brain injury and for the individual who may have been injured many years ago. It is for the person who may be presently hospitalized and for the person who has returned to the home and community. It is a resource for both the individual and for the family members. The Brain Injury Toolbox may be of use to those who work with and/or provide services to the person who has sustained a brain injury.

Life can change in an instant for the person who has sustained a brain injury, and for the family. The individual and his family may have many questions and be searching for available resources. The questions may focus on a wide issue of topics and needs. The Brain Injury Toolbox is a place to begin gathering tools that will be used in the unfolding journey following a brain injury.
 
The Brain Injury Toolbox has been developed by the Brain Injury Association of Illinois to disseminate educational materials and other materials that may be useful tools to those whose lives have been impacted by brain injury, for professionals working with individuals who have sustained a TBI, and to the community at large.


Visit the Brain Injury Toolbox Website
The website currently has 7 films to view, with an additional 5 films soon to be added. The website contains a glossary of terms, definitions of tests & procedures, characteristics of brain injury, information on brain injury complications/issues, and fact sheets. There is also a section,  "Ask the TBI Doc", on the website. This multi-media website will continue to grow and expand.

This website project was supported in part by Grant Number H133A080045A from NIDRR (National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIDRR.


Information on additional Brain Injury Association of Illinois programs....
As a collaborator with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, the Brain Injury Association of Illinois has been able to develop and expand several programs because of the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) grant. The BIA of Illinois has been able to disseminate brain injury educational material and other material to a variety of targeted audiences. Some of our identified programs include:
Peer Outreach Program (POP)
Operation Brain Injury Freedom (OBIF) - Military Family Network
Video Education Series - Brain Injury related films hosted on www.braininjurytoolbox.com
Teleconference Education Series
Brain Injury in the Community
Social Skills and Relationship Building Program



Information on the TBI Model System Grant awarded to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago....
Midwest Regional Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (MRTBIMS):
Innovative Approaches to Improve Cognition, Function and Community Living

The Midwest Regional Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (MRTBIMS) has been created to accomplish several important objectives in support of an interdisciplinary, multidimensional center focused on providing and improving care for people with TBI. We will establish a coordinated multilevel interdisciplinary system of care for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI), including pre-hospital, emergency, acute, long-term acute, intensive rehabilitation, and community care. This continuum of care will be provided at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, RML Specialty Hospital, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and its System of Care, under the leadership of Elliot J. Roth, MD and Felise S. Zollman, MD. We also will submit data on at least 35 TBI patients per year to the National TBI Database. Our research plans include implementation of two site-specific research projects, which consist of clinical trials on the effectiveness of acupuncture to improve sleep in TBI patients and on the effectiveness of a virtual reality-robotics program to improve attention and concentration in TBI patients. We also plan to participate in at least one multi-center collaborative research project. Further, the Center will be engaged in dissemination of educational and other materials on TBI to a variety of target audiences, including persons with TBI and their families, professionals who care for patients with TBI, and the public. Finally, we plan to collaborate with the Brain Injury Association of Illinois and other NIDRR-funded centers as appropriate. These activities are expected to have a positive impact on clinical TBI management practices and health care policy.


 
The Brain Injury Association of Illinois is a statewide non-profit organization providing services and programs for children and adults who have sustained an acquired brain injury. Some of the BIA of Illinois services/programs include: providing information and resources, nationwide toll-free phone line, websites, educational programs and training, camp program, public awareness, injury prevention, advocacy and support groups. The mission of the Brain Injury Association of Illinois is to create a better future through brain injury prevention, education, advocacy and research. For more information on the Brain Injury Association of Illinois, contact the office at 800.699.6443, send e-mail to info@biail.org.