Camarillo, CA -- The Brain Injury Center of Ventura County will stage a series of free monthly workshops in Camarillo dedicated to different aspects of living with a brain injury. The workshops are being conducted by BIC’s Professional Advisory Council for the benefit of brain injury survivors, their families, caretakers and professionals on assorted levels who deal with individuals affected by brain injury.
Monthly programs will take place on the third Tuesday of each month, beginning September 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., in the offices of the Camarillo Health Care District. The workshops will focus on various medical, emotional, adjustment and social issues encountered by brain injury survivors and their families. Living with a brain injury poses a lifetime of challenges and the series will examine how to deal with and overcome these problems to the greatest extend possible.
The Brain Injury Center’s Professional Advisory Council consists of many of Ventura County’s leading doctors, psychologists, educators, financial planners and other experts who deal with brain injury. The workshops are an extension of the BIC’s annual Ventura County Brain Injury Conference, also the brainchild of its Professional Advisory Board.
Erik Landy, PhD, will lead the initial workshop on September 21, examining techniques to improve learning and memory. Dr. Landy is one of the county’s leading neuropsychologists and his presentation will identify the steps of the memory process and explore the various ways that brain injury can affect memory. The program will convey some basic techniques and strategies to address memory difficulties, specifically focusing on matching the recall strategy to the specific type of memory difficulty.
BECOMING A TBI WARRIOR
By: Victor Medina
vmedina@tbiwarrior.com
I am a three times veteran having served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. I am a Purple Heart recipient. Throughout my deployment I have been in multiple enemy engagements, including bomb explosions. On June 29, 2009 at 9am I was on patrol in the city of Nazariyah, Iraq when my vehicle was struck by an Explosive Formed Projectile (EFP) penetrating part of the armor. It was at that specific moment that I sustained the Traumatic Brain Injury that changed my life. It caused loss of consciousness among many other issues that are still present. Also, with my injury I developed a speech fluency problem.
NBC’s Olympic coverage this week brought America the story of Kevin Pearce, a popular and charismatic young snowboarder who sustained a life-changing brain injury getting ready for the games. Kevin was in a coma at first, but has now awakened to the daunting task of trying to rehabilitate his mental and physical capabilities.
Kevin’s family is thrilled with his recovery so far and optimistic that he will continue to make progress toward being his old self. America hopes so too, but the likelihood is that he and his family will face huge challenges for the rest of ...
Oxnard, CA -- She is one of Ventura’s County’s leading advocates for helping people with a brain injury try to resume a “normal” life. She is bright, personable and energetic and has been working for this cause for over 20 years. Her name is Lee Staniland and she, too, has a brain injury.
Lee is a 5’1” dynamo who serves on the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Center, the non-profit organization that works to help Ventura County’s estimated 16,000 people with brain injury and their families. She recently ...
Letter to the Editor
(this letter was printed in the LA Times on October 9, 2005 in response to the two Times articles of October 5, 2009: War Injury Leads to Advances at Home; and Brain Matters)
It’s a national tragedy that massive numbers of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering brain injuries. Only now is public attention being focused on this serious disability. As you report, an estimated 2% of Americans have brain injuries severe enough to affect their lives.
In addition to head ...
September 24, 2008 — Changes in the way the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) evaluates traumatic brain injury (TBI) could quadruple payments to some veterans with this type of brain trauma.
"These important regulatory changes will allow VA decision makers to better assess the consequences of these injuries and ensure veterans are properly compensated for their residual effects," James B. Peake, MD, secretary of Veterans Affairs, said in a statement.
The Associated Press reports that the new compensation is based on the expectation that some troops with the even mildest form of TBI could end up ...
Linda Wells
She is an exceptional motivational speaker, but often can’t retrieve the simplest word. She raises money for the cause that drives her life but can’t tell you how many quarters are in a dollar. She can carry on a conversation with wit and intelligence, but can’t pronounce the names of her two sons.
Her name is Linda Wells and 15 years ago she had a significant brain injury. Like most brain injuries, it changed her life forever. It just didn’t slow her down.
What started as a ...
And to end the Newsletter, a word from the President: Dave Wilk
I am extremely proud of our accomplishments over the past three months. In March we staged Ventura County’s first-ever Brain Injury Conference with terrific attendance and nothing but positive feedback from attendees and participants. BIC’s Professional Advisory Board and everyone involved are eager to put together an even more comprehensive conference next year.
We have now successfully launched new support groups in Camarillo for people who live with brain injury and their families and these groups grow stronger every session. ...
Oxnard, CA -- The Brain Injury Center is staging the county’s first educational event devoted to brain injury, its medical implications, the profound impact on survivors and their families and strategies for building a new life. The day-long Ventura County Brain Injury Conference will take place March 21 at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard.
Presenters will include physicians who deal with brain injury, rehabilitation specialists and personnel from the Brain Injury Center, the county’s single non-profit organization devoted to assisting people with brain injury and their families. One special session will be conducted ...
