Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-09-21, Page 8Saturday, November 5, 2016 Box Office Ticket Sales Only Sat. Oct. 1 9am Clinton Kinsmen Hall 162 Maple St., Clin Enjoy the 20`'' presentation of this popular event! featuring some of "The Best of the Best" and many other value-added elements 8 News Record • Wednesday, September 21, 2016 Non -profits of Central Huron: Brain Injury Association This column features a different non-profit operating in Central Huron each week. This week's non-profit is the Brain Injury Association of London and Region. The Huron County support group meets once a month in the OMAFRA Office at 100 Don Street in Clinton. One woman got her brain injury from falling down while shoveling snow. Another when a tire flew off a racecar at a racetrack. One was the result of being hit by a train while wallcing a dog. A brain injury can also be the result of a stroke or a brain aneurysm, but most are caused by unintentional injuries. Mary (not her real name,) incurred her brain injury during a collision five years ago on a Huron County road. According to the Brain Injury of London and Region, collisions are the second leading cause of brain injuries. But don't ask Mary about how the collision occurred - she suffered amnesia after she was t -boned by a truck who underestimated her speed while pulling out of a driveway. "I don't even remember the day of my accident," Mary said. But she does remember that "six months later they were still taking glass out of my skull." Mary suffered what is called "contra -coup", or trauma to the brain, that would forever change her life, said Donna Thomson, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of London and Region. "It's where the brain shakes, rattles and rolls," Mary explained. "It causes shearing and little bits of tears in the brain." After spending three weeks in a coma in a London hospital, Mary woke up gradually and was soon transported back home where she underwent an extensive rehabilitation process. "I felt overwhelmed. That's the biggest feeling I had," she said. Donna Thomson of the Brain Injury Association says brain injuries change peo- ple's lives forever. As part of her recovery, Mary attended rehabilitation therapy, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a social worker, a psychologist and a physiatrist, which is a doctor of physical medicine and rehabilitation. "I had to learn to be a new kind of wife, mother, sister, friend and employee," she said. "I used to be able to multi -task like crazy. I was the busiest woman alive; now I can do one task at a time" In order to cope, she fol- lows a daily schedule that documents all of her activi- ties, including some others would take for granted like feeding the fish and washing her hair. She also needs help with grocery shopping and house cleaning. "The biggest problem I have is short-term memory," she said. "My life has to be in schedules." Mary's home has become super organized, with spe- cific spots for every house- hold item. "Otherwise I go blank," she said. "I don't even know what I'm looking for - it's totally life changing." She also lost her sense of taste and smell and cravings for specific food items, ulti- mately losing a good deal of weight. "Sometimes I forget to eat," she said. Mary pointed out that her injury has affected all of the people around her, includ- ing family and friends. "As tough as it is for people with brain injuries to accept they have a disability, it's tougher for people that sup- port them to accept that they have a person with a brain injury in their lives," she said. While Mary's marriage survived, a fact for which she expressed gratitude, the marriages of many people afflicted with a brain injury often break up and old friends drift away. "You become too much work for some friendships," said Mary. Another problem associ- ated with the disability is becoming agoraphobic or housebound. "Social isolation is often difficult for people with brain injuries," Thomson explains. In order to overcome the feelings of being confined to her come, Mary began vol- unteering at the Brain Injury Association and started training to become a peer if it's local, it's here clintonnewsrecord.com e� smen i O * "Years in the making .. . This is the one you don't want to miss!" Tickets are limited $50.00 each mentor through the organi- zation's peer support network. Trained mentors are matched with a partner who may be coping with similar situations. Despite her situation, Marty said she sees "her bathtub as half full." While every brain injury is differ- ent, Mary said her moods are more level and her temper is more even. She said she still feels joy and relies on her sense of humour to help smooth the rough patches, a fact that is obvious when she points out that one of the upsides of her brain injury is that, "I can watch a movie twice because I don't remember how it ended:' According to the Brain Injury Association of Lon- don and Region, approxi- mately 50,000 Canadians are admitted annually to hospi- tal for traumatic brain injury - about 6,000 will become disabled. It is the leading cause of death and disability in Can- ada for people under the age of 40. The Brain Injury Associa- tion of London and Region offers support groups for survivors and family Call 1-866-734-9425 or visit wwwmedicalert.ca O MedicAlert Lets You Live Life. RESTAURANT &TAVERN 350 Bayfield Road, Goderich 524-7711 Now Booking for Thanksgiving Sunday Oct. 9 Brunch featuring Roast Turkey and Baked Ham and Smorgasbord featuring Roast Turkey and Angus Roast Beef Monday Oct. 10 Smorgasbord featuring Roast Turkey and Angus Roast Beef Call now to book your Group, Business and Family Christmas Parties See Oct. 5th's Goderich Signal Star for full details. members in the five counties of London/ Middlesex, Huron, Perth, Oxford and Elgin. These groups meet on a monthly or weekly basis and offer people who live with the effects of a brain injury the chance to meet and discuss common issues and problems, learn more about living with ABI and to have fun in a positive environment. The Huron County Sup- port Group meets in the OMAFRA Office, at 100 Don Street in Clinton. They meet on the second Monday of the month from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. The association started in 1982. Their website says it started "in response to the lack of knowledge and ser- vices available to those who were affected by head injury. At that time, patients were being sent home from hospi- tal with very little after-care support, and family mem- bers were left to cope on their own, usually in isola- tion from other caregivers." For more information, the Brain Injury Association of London and Region can be reached by calling: 519-642- 4539 or 1-888-642-4539 or visiting their website www. braininj urylondon. on. ca. ADVERTISING WORKS! CALL US TO PLACE YOUR ND HERE IPP"""q"MI The 3rd anniversary service of Brucefield Community United Church will be held on October 2nd at 10:30 am which will include a time of remembrance for members who have passed since the inception of BCUC. The guest speaker will be: Rev. Randy Banks Special music will be provided by: Kindred Spirit. Lunch will be provided.