NEWS & NOTES

INTERESTED IN PRESENTING AT OUR 13TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE?

MARCH 27-28, 2020

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS APPROACHING.

Sign up for “Ready, Relax, Eat”

A New Program for Caregivers Launching in Fall 2019

A loved one’s brain injury or spinal cord injury has a ripple effect on the entire family.

We have  spent months meeting with caregivers to determine some of their most pressing needs. One of the primary desires they often cite is respite – a break from caregiving duties – including relief from meal preparation.

That’s why BIALA has created “Ready, Relax, Eat” to give caregivers a respite from meal preparation periodically from month to month. We will launch this in the fall as a pilot project in the greater New Orleans area, then expand to other areas of the state as funding permits.

Ms. Wheelchair Louisiana 2020 competition will be held on

November 2, 2019 at Baton Rouge Rehab Hospital. This program is about advocacy and education. Applications are due October 10th.



Thank you to NuMotion Foundation for sponsoring our event and to Baton Rouge Rehabilitation Hospital for hosting the event.

I n conjunction with Touro Infirmary Foundation's Bowling for Brain Injury event , we will be hosting a Connections Circle event for individuals with brain injuries . Join us from 3:30 - 4:30 for an enrichment talk and then stay after to bowl. Registration is required and is open to the first 20 registrants. Please send an email to kim@biala.org to register. Thank you to Touro Infirmary Foundation for hosting the bowling event and to NeuroRehab Care for sponsoring the event.

How to Reverse Your Tendency to Be Negative

With mindfulness, you can change the way you think.

Toni Bernhard J.D.

All of us could benefit from taking the time to pay  attention  to how we react to the people and to events in our lives. Most of us think of ourselves as open-minded and non-judgmental. We think of ourselves as having a “positivity  bias .” I thought I did—that is, until I started paying attention to how I react to people and situations.

To my surprise, I discovered that I’m quick to jump to negative conclusions: “He talked too much,” “She didn’t ask me how I’m doing,” and “That meeting was a waste of time.” You get the idea.

Bottom line: I always looked for what I didn’t like instead of what I did like. I also discovered that this tendency was a source of emotional pain for me. It didn’t feel good to always be judging and seeing the negatives in people and events. 

TBI TALK

How Counseling Can Help After a Concussion

by...

Counseling@Northwestern, the  online Master of Arts in Counseling program  from The Family Institute at Northwestern University.

What Is a Concussion?

A concussion is a kind of traumatic brain injury that can happen when an individual receives a blow, bump, or jolt to the head according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A concussion can also happen when a blow to the body shakes the head back and forth, damaging the brain.

The injury, whether to the head or body, does not have to look serious to be serious. Even mild bumps can cause severe damage.

Dr. Michele Kerulis,  a professor of counseling with  Counseling@Northwestern,  compared the brain with a concussion to appliances in a power surge.

“If your cellphone is plugged in and there’s a power surge, it could jolt your phone, reset it, and make it a little bit funky,” Dr. Kerulis said.

Similarly, concussions change the way the brain functions. The physical, short-term effects are clear and commonly understood: headaches, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, among other symptoms.

Less commonly acknowledged are the emotional and psychological effects—including anxiety, depression, and loneliness—and the fact that, for some patients, symptoms last a long time.

Click here to read how counseling can help



Motivational Moment

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.

- Helen Keller