Brain Injury Awareness Month
by Chelsea Smith
In Canada, Brain Injury Awareness Month is every June. Each year, organizations across Canada raise awareness about:
Prevalence of brain injuries.
Obstacles that people with brain injuries encounter.
The need for more services and forms of support for different stages of recovery [1].
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is damage to the brain that occurs after birth and is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. The two types of ABIs are non-traumatic and traumatic. A non-traumatic ABI causes damage to the brain by internal factors such as a stroke, brain tumor, or lack of oxygen supply to the brain (i.e., heart attack). Traumatic ABIs are caused by external forces such as car accidents, assault, or sports injuries. Response to ABI varies but physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes are common.
How common are brain injuries?
In Canada, 452 people suffer a serious brain injury every day (1 person every 3 minutes!) [2]. This statistic does not include mild brain injuries, which are even more common. There are 18,000 hospitalizations for traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year in Canada and 2% of the population lives with a TBI [3].
Are concussions a TBI?
A concussion is a type of TBI and there are 200,000 concussions annually in Canada [3]. These “invisible injuries”, like most TBIs, can be particularly challenging because they cannot be seen like a broken arm or bruise. As someone who recently suffered from a concussion for 6 months, I can speak to the challenges it can be to explain your symptoms and experience to others. Brain injuries, which range in severity and length of impact, are all injuries to take very seriously.
What are the signs and symptoms of a concussion?
Signs and symptoms of a concussion can be tricky to detect or may be brushed off. I recommend looking at the signs and symptoms of a concussion so you are aware in case yourself or someone you know experiences this.
How do I support someone with a brain injury [2]?
Be patient with them. They will likely be frustrated by their experience and limitations as their brain works on healing itself.
Recovery will take time. Support them along the way and appreciate that it might take some time for them to feel like themselves again.
Ensure they seek recovery advice and guidance from a qualified medical professional.
Understand that a common symptom of brain injuries is being rude or abrupt. They may be on edge for some time. Don’t take it personally!
Continue to look after yourself as you support them.
If you would like more info about Brain Injury Awareness Month, check out this page. You can show your support for the organization using their Social Media toolkit here and check out a list (here) of provincial and local brain injury associations to get more involved in an organization near you!
References
Brain Injury Canada: https://braininjurycanada.ca/en/brain-injury-awareness-month
Brain & Injury Law: https://braininjurylaw.ca/june-is-brain-injury-awareness-month-in-canada/
Brain Injury Canada: https://www.braininjurycanada.ca/en/statistics-brain-injury
