Member Organizations
Assisting people with a brain injury to learn how to live with the changes and challenges faced after injury.
Brain Injury Associations are a critical link in the continuum of care. They provide service innovation, increased public health, and reductions in demand for emergency services by persons with a brain injury.
Case Management/Individual Support
Community brain injury associations provide services to any person living with an acquired brain injury, serving people from all walks of life regardless of funding sources. Services are designed to educate, improve function and independence.
Although service delivery and the range of available services change as an individual regains skills and rebuilds their life, services are not time-limited. These interventions may help prevent many situations from requiring emergency medical or psychiatric services incarceration, and/or homelessness.
Services include but are not limited to:
- brain injury education/ coping with the effects of injury (survivor, family, employer, community),
- help applying for pensions or other financial assistance,
- obtaining and retaining housing,
- obtaining medical care,
- exploring employment and education opportunities,
- accessing other important community supports and services
“An older couple came in (after) the husband had received a brain injury. Their insurance company was slow to pay and they were without income. Their home was to be sold to cover costs. We helped them access various programs, so they did not lose their home and got help pressing their insurance claim.”
– Kamloops Brain Injury
When the constitution was formed in 2014, the purpose was stated as follows:
Professional Counselling
The research indicates that in excess of 20% of individuals who sustain a traumatic brain injury develop mental health disorders, particularly depression and PTSD (Nada Andelic, Solrun Sigurdardottir, Anne-Kristine Schanke, Leiv Sandvik, Unni Sveen & Cecilie Roe (2010) Disability, physical health and mental health 1 year after traumatic brain injury, Disability and Rehabilitation, 32:13, 1122-1131, DOI: 10.3109/09638280903410722).
According to a 2016 study in Toronto, Ontario, 53% of homeless individuals live with brain injury. The vast majority (77%) were injured prior to becoming homeless. (Stephen W. Hwang.Angela Colantonio, Shirley Chau, George Tolomiczenko, Alex Kiss, Laura Cowan, Donald A. Redelmeier, Wendy Levinson (2016) Traumatic Brain Injury in the Homeless Population: A Toronto Study)
Community Engagement
Brain injury organizations support people with system navigation to access the resources they need for complex issues such as housing, mental health, etc. through collaboration with other organizations and stakeholders.
Group Services
Many programs have found that the primary goal for new clients is a desire to learn about their injury, to find out if there is anything that can be done to minimize symptoms and to learn strategies to cope with the long term effects of the injury.
These programs provide the linkages that make it possible to rebuild skills to get back into the community. These programs hold people together during the hard work of rebuilding a life after a traumatic and life changing event.
Small groups provide the benefit of peer support to both the supporter and other clients, while increasing efficiency and providing cost containment. Group/peer support programs can also provide support for organization staff working in multiple programs with large caseloads.
Some group programs include therapeutic yoga/karate, cooking, photography, art/ music therapy, gardening, stained glass, writing, and outings. Participation in these group programs are the first steps in building confidence, community involvement, volunteerism, and independence. These programs are well-supported by the community (artists, musicians, universities/colleges as well as local stores and businesses).
Membership
The Alliance is proud to provide some of the funding, particularly for staff costs, so that Alliance member agencies can continue with these vital programs. Often it is these programs that remind the people that we serve that life is good, even after brain injury.
Member Organizations
BrainTrust Canada
BrainTrust Canada is a progressive non-profit association that has provided community rehabilitation to persons with brain injury in the Okanagan since 1986. The association provides individualized community support and rehabilitation to maximize independence after brain injury. These services include residential, pre-employment, health maintenance, education, financial, compensatory strategy development, advocacy, and family support.
www.braintrustcanada.com
Campbell River Head Injury Support Society
Campbell River Head Injury Support Society provides education, support, advocacy and fellowship to brain injury survivors, their caregivers, families and education to the general public about brain injury. The society is comprised of survivors, family members, caregivers, and health care professionals.
www.crhead.ca
Comox Valley Head Injury Society
The Comox Valley Head Injury Society (CVHIS) is a non-profit organization providing programs and support services to brain injury survivors, their families and caregivers in the Comox Valley. Since 1993, their mission has been to promote the health and well-being of their members, and reduce incidences of brain injury in their community through prevention-based education. CVHIS’s support services are confidential and use strength-based, harm reduction approaches.
www.cvhis.org
Cowichan Brain Injury Society
The Cowichan Brain Injury Society is a charitable organization that offers a variety of programs, peer support, case management and other services for people with brain injury. www.cowichanbraininjury.org
Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association
The Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association is a charitable organization that has been offering support and services to people with acquired brain injuries and their families since 1997. They provide a variety of programs throughout the Fraser Valley from Langley to Boston Bar.
www.fvbia.org
Kamloops Brain Injury Association
The Kamloops Brain Injury Association serves individuals with acquired brain injuries, their families, caregivers and associates by offering specialized programs and lifeskills education. KBIA also facilitates education and awareness regarding acquired brain injury and offers prevention workshops and seminars to the community.
www.kbia.ca
Nanaimo Brain Injury Society
The Nanaimo Brain Injury Society provides support, education and advocacy to people on central Vancouver Island with acquired brain injuries, their families and friends.
www.nbis.ca
Northern Brain Injury Association
The Northern Brain Injury Association was founded in 2002 in response to the lack of services that were available for Northern British Columbia survivors of brain injury, and their families. The NBIA was incorporated as a society in 2007, and became a registered charity in 2009. The Northern Brain Injury Association serve a geographic area that is approximately two thirds of the entire province of British Columbia
Powell River Brain Injury Society
The Powell River Brain Injury Society is committed to providing the best service delivery available to thier clients living with acquired brain injury, their families and their caregivers. They offer services aimed at understanding and coming to terms with the changes that will take place when you or a loved one is living with a brain injury.
www.braininjurysociety.com
Prince George Brain Injured Group Society
The Prince George Brain Injured Group provides community rehabilitation and services to more than 300 survivors of brain injury every year. At PG BIG they combine a warm and welcoming environment with a whole lot of skill and knowledge.
www.pgbig.ca
South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society
The South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society (SOSBIS) is a non-profit organization made up of brain injured people, family members, and professionals dedicated to assisting survivors and their families to achieve the greatest level of independence and quality of life. They serve the entire South Okanagan Similkameen Region (Osoyoos, Oliver, Keremeos, Princeton, Okanagan Falls, Penticton & Summerland).
www.sosbis.com
Victoria Brain Injury Society
Victoria Brain Injury Society gives survivors and their loved ones that which the medical professional cannot: long term support through the many steps, both backward and forward, of life after brain injury. From those just released from hospital, to those who have lived with their injuries for decades, survivors consistently express gratitude and relief once they’ve walked through the Society’s doors.
www.vbis.ca
West Kootenay Brain Injury Association
The three major goals of the West Kootenay Brain Injury Association are to increase community awareness of brain injuries, maintain current services & increase services based on identified needs and to increase the motivation and capacity of all WKBIA members.
www.wkbianews.com