Dietlose

I saw in interesting article today where star of the recent movie Cloverfield, Mike Vogel, and a group of pro cycling legends, veterans advocates and the Pentagon, are working to help wounded military heroes.

Vogel will serve as chairman of the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans and is participating in a series of "Road 2 Recovery" bike rides across the country to assist wounded veterans as they leave the military and begin rehabilitation.

Vogel's need to help those serving our country comes after the recent death of a relative in Iraq. Vogel solicited the help of his Los Angeles neighbor, John Wordin, who is a former pro cyclist and team owner. Wordin was already working on a plan to help the VA improve its cycling facilities for disabled vets.

I think this is a great way to bring attention to the rising rate of military personnel returning home from Iraq wounded with traumatic brain injuries. You can read more on this story here.

The National Resource Center for TBI is proud and pleased to join with other leading organizations in presenting a national conference for caregivers of persons with Brain Injury. The National TBI Caregiver's Conference will be held Saturday June 7, 2008 at the Hospitality House Hotel in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Family members and caregivers who play a crucial role in helping survivors recover after and before discharge from health care settings. With the needs of caregivers in mind, this one-day national conference is designed to provide extensive practical information on achieving recovery. Panel presentations, lectures, discussion sessions, and workshops will cover a wide range of topics including community and home-based rehabilitation, finding and accessing services, recovery, avoiding burnout, and how the brain works. Conference presenters will include experienced caregivers, survivors and nationally known rehabilitation professionals.

For more information please contact Linda Lee, at 703.451.8881 or by email at llee@braininjurysvcs.org.

Not long ago, a New Hampshire trial court barred the introduction of the Boston process testing approach in neuropsychological testing.  There, the trial court also found that while this flexible approach in clinical neuropsychology was scientifically valid in the clinical setting, it was not valid in the forensic context and that data-based clinical judgments do not meet legal admissibility standards.  The case is now before the New Hampshire Supreme Court.

Since its inception in the early 1980s, the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey has been dedicated to addressing the needs of children with brain injury.  In the mid 1980s, the Association formed the Education Committee, known today as the Children & Adolescents Committee, from a group of passionate professionals and parents of children and adolescents who had sustained a brain injury.  The Committee grew out of a need, often expressed by parents, to improve the information available to parents and those working with children and adolescents who had sustained a brain injury.

The goals of the Committee remain the same as they were at its inception, to improve the information that parents and those working with children and adolescents who sustained brain injury receive.  The Committee strives to improve school re-entry for students with brain injury pre-kindergarten through college, improve community re-entry for children and adolescents who have sustained brain injury, and increase awareness about the effect of brain injury on children and adolescents through in-services, training guides, and education.
 
The Children & Adolescents Committee is currently seeking new members to be part of the Committee.  The Committee is made up of both professionals and parents of children and adolescents who sustained a brain injury.  The Committee asks new members to make a minimum of a 1-year commitment to attend meetings.  The Committee holds 7 daytime meetings and 3 evening meetings throughout the year, typically meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month.  If you are interested in joining the Committee please submit a letter of interest along with a current resume, bio, or CV to René Carfi at rcarfi@bianj.org. 

I cannot stress enough the importance of safety in order to prevent a traumatic brain injury from occurring. From bicycle helmets to caution in adolescent athletics, it is our job to assist in the prevention of injuries so that less of us have to feel the devastating effects caused by brain injuries.

A huge step forward in the prevention of brain injuries in our children occurred last week. Last Thursday the Senate unanimously passed H.R. 1216 (also known as the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007), which addresses three of the most serious causes of preventable injuries and fatalities to young children in and around motor vehicles. Those causes include: getting caught in an automatically closing power window, being struck by a backing vehicle because of an unacceptable blindzone, and placing a vehicle in gear that results in an uncontrolled roll away without having to depress the brake.

The law would include deadlines for federal government actions to be taken in order for these inexpensive and effective technological solutions put in place. We are still waiting for President Bush to sign this bill into law, but we are very excited that when that does happen our children will have an even safer and more promising future than ever.