Tomorrow is a New Day Brought to you by Lori Purdy Faitel. Co-President of North Oak Brain Injury Association, Author of “AM I BRAIN DAMAGED? MEMOIR OF RETURN TO LIFE AFTER MY BRAIN INJURY”, Advocate and Survivor January 16, 2011!!!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR Online Brain Injury communities. Such communities monitor requests for membership. Membership consists of Brain Injury survivors, not care givers, not medical personnel, no legal representatives, and no solicitors. Type the below address beginning with “http” through “injury/” (all underlined, if online you can copy and paste) completely in the address line of the place you access the Internet. (Mine is Yahoo) http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/survivoracquiredbraininjury/ SOURCE: Brain Injury Network Jan 11, 2011 11:11 ET Brain Injury Network Announces the Human Rights Issues and Concerns of People With Acquired Brain Injury From Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Brain Cancer, Brain Illness, Stroke, and Other Forms of ABI People With Acquired Brain Injuries Consider Their Human Rights and Their Basic Human Safety Net to Be Their Most Vital Issues SANTA ROSA, CA--(Marketwire - January 11, 2011) The Brain Injury Network, an all acquired brain injury survivor organization (founded 1998), has announced human rights issues important to the ABI survivor community. BIN is a USA national and international organization promoting ABI survivor collective advocacy, citizen action and human rights. People with ABI at BIN have developed a collective consciousness and have articulated many issues that need public declaration. BIN is disseminating a consumer driven policy platform. We request that other policy advocates emphasize our recommendations and work for laws, standards and procedures that will protect vulnerable people who have ABI. "The most important thing to us is our human rights, not our role as patients or research subjects. We wish to be perceived as human beings with the same rights and desires to live safely, with the protection of law, and with the same respect and dignity that other people have," said Susan C. Hultberg, President and Executive Director of the Brain Injury Network and brain injury survivor. "Our membership has stated repeatedly that our main concern is our basic human rights and the basic human safety net. This means basic shelter, food, and medical care. It is our position that the basic human safety net for a person with incapacitating cognitive and/or physical disabilities after brain injury is even more important than community reintegrative retraining programming." BIN is also concerned about safety, privacy, and confidentiality concerns for people with ABI, especially individuals with brain injury who participate on Internet social communities. Web administrators of social communities for individuals with brain injuries should set privacy defaults to maximum and not allow public archiving of participants' posts in search engines. Additionally, medical, legal, government and other venues should use consistent definitions of ABI and TBI. Medical authorities should create a Post-Traumatic Brain Injury Syndrome (PTBIS) traumatic brain injury medical classification. PTBIS is an umbrella term being circulated by BIN to medical authorities in the hopes that they will utilize this new medical classification. Other policy statements and guidelines of the Brain Injury Network may be viewed on its website at http://braininjurynetwork.org http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/survivoracquiredbraininjury 8133 Commerce Rd Commerce Township (248) 360-1155 Special offer for the Brain Injured and care givers= 10% off all services Talk to Laurie, tell her Lori Faitel sent you. Everyone has rights By Lori Purdy Faitel Vice President of North Oak BIA, Author, Advocate and Brain Injury Survivor I have worked as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant-Licensed since 1992. I became a COTA/L as a result of increased love for others and a new life goal after I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury in April of 1986. Let me give you a quick overview of my life. I lived as a regular up and coming lady until the age of 24. One day, in April of 1986, my way to work I was critically injured by a truck carrying hay. I was on the interstate when a bale of hay hit my windshield, then another one and I lost control and went off the side of the road. My car was smashed against some construction material leaving me stranded until the police pulled me out of my car by the Jaws of Life. Fast forward to 1992: After about 6 years of therapy and extensive personal study I graduated college with my applied science degree in Occupational Therapy and have been practicing in Therapy departments all around Metro Detroit since. As I work with people who are in rehab, I remember moments of my own rehabilitation. I work in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) some times referred to as nursing homes. In the therapy department and as a medical professional I need to stay current on patient privacy and protection laws. The therapy I provide needs to be beneficial to the patient, the family and must be done is such a way as to satisfy all laws and regulations from local and national government. Each facility I work for has private policies and standards. So you can see patients are quite safe. Some resident rights medical professionals must abide by are the same issues families need to be aware of when dealing with any person who is physically or mentally compromised (in the following explanations these people will be referred to as “clients”). Overstimulation: A client is limited in his/her ability to understand the reasoning, schedule and changes that have occurred during their convalescence. Caregivers need to be aware that anything that concerns the client is a form of stimulation. Sound, lighting, new faces, new furniture, meals, TV’s radios, door bells, telephones, washers, dryers, running water and all the regular sounds of home are stimulation to the client. Caregivers need to try to limit stimulation to allow the client clear thoughts and reasoning. Perception of response: We all respond to things each day. If we stub our toe we may let out a squeak, mutter or perhaps yell. We may have recently been told bad news. The client observer’s the look on our face and our body movements and thinks it is directed at him/her. Caregivers need to always have a pleasant tone of voice, body movements and facial expression. If we have a personal issue, we must remedy it when we are not around the client. Isolation: Often times a client is wheel chair bound or bed bound. Uses crutches, a cast, walker, cane, can’t hear well, or see well. Limitations such as this lessen the client’s ability to move freely. We must always think, “If I leave the client does he/she have access to everything they may want or need?” For example at home we all have our bedrooms arranged comfortable, but a client may be in his/her comfortable bedroom yet they can no longer reach their TV remote or their phone. If caregivers are not with a client 24 hours, the client has no access to wanted items. We must always check surroundings of the client, first is everything available to the client for his/her safety? Second, Can I make items of comfort personally accessible for the client? There are many, many more rights and issues to think about. In future issues of this newsletter you will read of more rights and comforts for clients. Office products donated by: 2685 Union Lake Rd Commerce Township, MI 48382 248-366-6378 Tell Dr. Rodnick Lori Faitel sent you, and receive a complimentary screening and adjustment. Brain Injury Can be Prevented!! http://www.biami.org/brain-injury-prevention-michigan.htm The Brain Injury Association of America defines a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as an acquired brain injury that is “caused by an external physical force that may produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness.” The most common causes of TBI are vehicle crashes, falls, sports injuries, and violence. The Brain Injury Association of Michigan strives to further our mission of brain injury prevention through community education and public awareness campaigns. We offer fact sheets, which include up-to-date statistics on topics such as bike safety, falls, sports and recreation, violence, and transportation safety, and recommendations on how to prevent injuries from occurring. Unlike broken bones that mend, or cut or scraped skin that grows again, the brain cannot repair itself. It cannot grow new brain cells, called neurons, once they are damaged. Information from http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/sports.asp The following 20 sports/recreational activities represent the categories contributing to the highest number of estimated head injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2008. Cycling: 70,802 Football: 40,825 Basketball: 27,583 Baseball and Softball: 26,964 Powered Recreational Vehicles (ATVs, Dune Buggies, Go-Carts, Mini bikes, Off-road): 25,970 Soccer: 19,252 Skateboards/Scooters: 18,324 Fitness/Exercise/Health Club: 14,713 Horseback Riding: 11,749 Winter Sports (Skiing, Sledding, Snowboarding, Snowmobiling): 11,723 Water Sports (Diving, Scuba Diving, Surfing, Swimming, Water Polo, Water Skiing): 11,239 Golf: 8,420 Gymnastics/Dance/Cheerleading: 6,364 Trampolines: 5,971 Hockey: 5,272 Rugby/Lacrosse: 4,387 Other Ball Sports: 3,935 Roller and Inline Skating: 3,320 Ice Skating: 3,115 Wrestling: 2,643 The top 10 head injury categories among children ages 14 and younger: Cycling: 34,366 Football: 16,902 Skateboards/Scooters (Powered): 11,727 Baseball and Softball: 11,672 Basketball: 11,359 Water Sports: 9,322 Soccer: 7,874 Powered Recreational Vehicles: 6,302 Winter Sports: 5,846 Trampolines: 5,284 How can you help others? I am collecting donations of $12 to send a copy of “AM I BRAIN DAMAGED?” to a family of a Brain Injured. Cost includes: signed copy, postage and a receipt with a description of the family. Contact Lori via email: bisurvivor@yahoo.com or cell: 248-310-4815.
Created by Lori Purdy Faitel (LPF), Author of “AM I BRAINDAMAGED?” Memoir of Return to Life After My Head Injury Email: Aibdpurdy@yahoo.com I LEARNED SOMETHING TODAY By LPF This month I interviewed Kimberly Kassner founder of EmpowerMind. I met Kimberly at a Joy of Connecting (JOC) meeting. JOC is an entrepreneurial women’s business, networking group. After hearing Kimberly’s ability to work with many different people, to help them find techniques, private for each person, to develop their mind; I contacted and made an interview date to see if this tool could benefit the brain injured. EmpowerMind http://empowermind.com/home.html Kimberly Kassner 248-366-1960 MISSION: Students are interactively engaged in adaptive learning, which means they discover how they learn best. EmpowerMind©’s-learning to learn program is an integrated whole brain approach teaching memory, study skills (i.e. test taking, reading and retaining, note taking . . .) that promote accelerated learning for the honor student, average student and the student who learns differently (or is labeled “Learning Disabled”). The key priority is the emotional component-- that helps the student raise self-esteem—knowing that anything is possible because it was experienced first hand creating the new belief, I CAN DO IT! Kimberly greeted me warmly and very kindly. We began with the usual nice-it-ties then Kimberly said, “Let me get to know your style”; she asked a few general questions and unobtrusively watched my response. After I finished the questions, Kimberly said she could tell by the way my eyes moved that I was a visual learner. My explanation of visualization is the creation of pictures in ones own mind. I told Kimberly that I had difficulty in remembering names, not faces but the names. Probably in the middle of our meeting, I told Kimberly that I had been trying to remember the barista’s name, she gave me a thought process tool using a technique adapted for my personal way of thinking, she asked me to try to learn the barista’s name.
As I spoke about the various Brain Injury Associaiton (BIA) support groups I visit and call home, Kimberly had a thought; she mentioned that often people have frustration or anger; not because of what the outsider does or thinks, but what the speaker believes the outsider is thinking about him/her. I don’t know if I related the thought correctly so let me tell my take on it. For me; when I am speaking to a group or an individual I look into their eyes. Once I think I have a good feel of the thoughts behind those eyes, I then decide if I should continue speaking on the topic. In essence my perception is me thinking for the outsider. How do truly I know what an outsider is thinking? If I question a person’s perception of what I say, I should question that person and let them tell me their true perception. I wish I had met Kimberly and EmpowerMind as I was rehabbing from my TBI. I could imagine how the use of inherent learning techniques would have saved me from frustration and loss of self-confidence. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in building mind power, especially my fellow Brain Injury Survivors. For individual instruction you are welcome to contact Kimberly directly, or contact me if you are interested in forming a group for a one-time workshop.
I am willing to work with anyone who wants to take a class from EmpowerMind; I will help you create a notebook or some sort of memory card for reference to enable us to utilize what we have learned. I RETURNED OUR DIRTY COFFEE CUPS AND SAID “THANK YOU CHERYL” yeah, yeah, that’s the barista’s name I remembered it!!!!!!! What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? www.helpguide.org/mental/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment. Wendy’s Story Three months ago, Wendy was in a major car accident. She sustained only minor injuries, but two friends riding in her car were killed. At first, the accident seemed like just a bad dream. Then Wendy started having nightmares about it: waking up in a cold sweat to the sound of crunching metal and breaking glass. Now, the sights and sounds of the accident haunt her all the time. She has trouble sleeping at night, and during the day she feels irritable and on edge. She jumps whenever she hears a siren or screeching tires, and she avoids all TV programs that might show a car chase or accident scene. Wendy also avoids driving whenever possible, and refuses to go anywhere near the site of the crash. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that can develop following a traumatic event that threatens your safety or makes you feel helpless. Most people associate PTSD with battle-scarred soldiers overwhelming life experience can trigger PTSD, especially if the event is perceived as unpredictable and uncontrollable. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect those who personally experience the catastrophe, those who witness it, and those who pick up the pieces afterwards, including emergency workers and law enforcement officers. It can even occur in the friends or family members of those who went through the actual trauma. Rewiring a Damaged Brain ScienceDaily (Sep. 27, 2010) — Researchers in the Midwest are developing microelectronic circuitry to guide the growth of axons in a brain damaged by an exploding bomb, car crash or stroke. The goal is to rewire the brain connectivity and bypass the region damaged by trauma, in order to restore normal behavior and movement.
See Also: • Amnesia Can A Baby's Brain Damage At Birth Be Treated With Proper Doctor Care? New Alternative to Medication. - Over 135 Nationwide TMS Clinics. Learn How Insulin May Help Your Appropriate Patients. HCP Only Site Pedram Mohseni, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Case Western Reserve University, and Randolph J. Nudo, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology at Kansas University Medical Center, believe repeated communications between distant neurons in the weeks after injury may spark long-reaching axons to form and connect. Their work is inspired by the traumatic brain injuries suffered by ground troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Despite improvements in helmets and armor, brain trauma continues to be the signature injury of these wars. Brain damage carries a heavy toll that may include loss of coordination, balance, mobility, memory and problem-solving skills, with soldiers suffering from mood swings, depression, anxiety, aggression, social inappropriateness and emotional outbursts. Scientists believe that as the brain develops, it naturally establishes and solidifies communication pathways between neurons that repeatedly fire together. Nudo and others have found that during the month following injury the brain is redeveloping, with fibers that connect different parts of the brain undergoing extensive rewiring. "The month following injury is a window of opportunity," Mohseni said. "We believe we can do this with an injured brain, which is very malleable." Mohseni has been building a multichannel microelectronic device to bypass the gap left by injury. The device, which he calls a brain-machine-brain interface, includes a microchip on a circuit board smaller than a quarter. The microchip amplifies signals, called neural action potentials, produced by the neurons in one part of the brain and uses an algorithm to separate these signals -- brain spike activity -- from noise and other artifacts. Upon spike discrimination, the microchip sends a current pulse to stimulate neurons in another part of the brain, artificially connecting the two brain regions. The miniature device currently remains outside the body, connecting to microelectrodes implanted in two regions of the brain. Nudo has been studying and mapping brain connectivity in a rat model and developing a traumatic brain injury model to test the device and the neuroanatomical rewiring theory. The researchers began collaborating in 2007. This month they received a $1.44 million grant from the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to continue their work and begin testing and improving the device. During the next four years, they expect to understand the ability to rewire the brain in a rat model and to determine whether the technology is safe enough to test in non-human primates. If tests show the treatment is successful in helping recovery from traumatic brain injury, the researchers foresee the possibility of using the approach in patients 10 years from now. All rights to this news line are solely owned by Lori Purdy Faitel. This may be copied and distributed to benefit the Brain Injured. LPF
TOMORROW IS A NEW DAY October 22,2010
Created by Lori Purdy Faitel (LPF), Author of “AM I BRAINDAMAGED?” Memoir of Return to Life After My Head Injury Email: Aibdpurdy@yahoo.com
This issue concentrates on us- Brain Injury Survivors.
Poll: Do you have trouble making decisions? When I saw this story on indecision in the Wall Street Journal, an image instantly sprang to mind of people who waffle. You know the ones: They stand in the grocery store aisle looking back and forth between boxes; they spend days debating whether they should make the call or take the job. They are, sometimes, well, me.
IF YOU'RE A SHADES-OF-GRAY THINKER... Shades-of-gray thinkers have more trouble deciding because they have more ambivalence; the choice of which option to take isn't immediately clear to them. Psychologists ignored ambivalence for years as insignificant. But recent studies have shown that there is some upside to indecision. It's a "coming to grips with the complexity of the world," Jeff Larsen, a psychology professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, is quoted as saying. Those prone to ambivalence, psychologists note, maybe be more empathetic towards another person's point of view and have better coping strategies during times of stress (mixed emotions let them feel sadness as well as hope). On the other hand, employees who are highly ambivalent about their jobs have erratic job performance. In relationships, a shades-of-gray thinker is, ironically, both more likely to get divorced and stay in a bad relationship longer.
IF YOU'RE A BLACK-AND-WHITE THINKER... Decisive, black-and-white thinkers have been held up in our culture as good in conflict. Think of Sydney Bristow on Alias or the fast-on-her-feet emergency room doctor. We like that decisive people are able to quickly size up a situation and make a call. But now psychologists are pointing out the flip side: Black and white thinkers can get mired in one point of view. Combine black-and-white thinking with clinical depression, for example, and you've got someone who sees the downside, even when there's not one. On the other hand, black-and-white thinkers have less trouble speaking their mind, and have less anxiety regarding the decisions they do make. Somewhat surprising was the data that black-and-white thinkers may have healthier relationships. Recognizing that there are positive and negative aspects in any relationship, the black-and-white thinker generally chooses to focus on the qualities that are most important to them. IT'S AN EAST-WEST THING In general, the American way is this extreme or that extreme. We do extremes really well (just tune into the evening political pundit programs). In fact, in Western cultures the ability to see both good and bad at once "violates our world view, our need to put everything in boxes," Larsen told the paper. But that yin-yang tattoo you got when you were 19 illustrates the firmly entrenched Eastern cultural principle of duality, that wholeness is made up of both good and bad.
THE QUICKEST WAY TO MAKE A DECISION When there isn't an easy answer in any given situation, go with your gut. The old coin flip––heads you marry the guy, tails you don't––can get you to the answer in a matter of moments. As soon as the coin lands, your reaction tells you everything you need to know. Another option: If you find yourself evaluating several factors in your ability to make a decision about, say, buying a new car (cost, efficiency, looks, and lasting power, for example), consider if there is one core value that stands out from the rest when you make a choice.
Flooding by LPF
In reading books by other survivor’s, their family members and medical literature regarding various brain injury and associated difficulties I ran into the word FLOODING, perhaps this word is familiar to those of you who have survived injuries recently, but mine being an old injury-I don’t ever remember the word- Flooding.
As I understand it, flooding is a mental status that I feel currently and was overwhelmed by for the first six years after my brain injury. Today I can explain a mental flood as: While doing something, maybe recreation, work, relaxation, socialization or anything; Suddenly, I become overloaded with thoughts from all directions. For example at work as an Occupational Therapy Assistant and working with a patient on therapeutic exercise to help alleviate pain and increase function. I am paying attention to the person’s breathing, the warmth I feel from their body, what they may say, and the coloring of their face. I must watch the person for a balance (among other stats) while in a therapy gym with at least 4 other people in close proximity. Because I am in a health facility, in the background, I hear the phone ring, overhead speakers, mechanical beeps and ticks, toilets and drains and private alarms. During these distractions another professional may direct a question to me while the patient and possibly their family ask questions and or watch the exercise.
All previously written are regular distractions, every day at work. I become often flooded when a question is directed to me as I concentrate on what I am teaching the patient while I listen to his/her breathing and watch for balance. A common term has always been overload, but in research I like the term flooding better. My technique to complete the most important task is to hold my hand up, smile and ask if I can return to everything at another time, but my primary act.
I understand that in the beginning of learning to adapt with my changed brain function I could not determine a priority and I could not shut out or narrow my concentration onto one thing. In current research I have found that many non-bi people have flooding/overload and bi survivors do not own the emotion. In that I feel comfort, it is always comforting to realize my bi has not, once again. made me different from the non-bi world. I want to say I care for all who deal with flooding, I just find comfort in that bi’s are not the only ones.
In research I have read many and different techniques to continue day-to-day life when a flood occurs. The answer I see is for each person to first recognize an emotional flood, and then determine how to get away from it. As I said before, I openly put my hand up (as people used to do as a hand signal for “talk to the hand”,) smile and quietly tell myself and everyone around that I need to concentrate on one thing, I will to attend to all else later.
I guess the first challenge is to determine a priority. Which is whole new article. For now, let’s just concentrate on one article at a time. Treat all distractions equal. My suggestion is to pick one and only one item to concentrate on until it is complete. Then attend to the others one at a time. Take a deep breath and a 2 second time out and proceed.
Yeah, yeah, yeah easy to say…remember safety: anything life damaging must be handled first.
THE BEST BRAIN INJURY BOOKS REVIEWED BY GARRY PROWE http://garryprowe.wordpress.com/
The Journey toward Recovery is one of at least 15 books in the Youth with Special Needs series by Mason Crest Publishers. As the publisher writes, “This series provides a unique forum for demystifying a wide variety of childhood medical and developmental disabilities. Written to captivate an adolescent audience, the books bring to life the challenges and triumphs experienced by children with common chronic conditions.” With The Journey toward Recovery, the publisher and author live up to these words. The Journey toward Recovery: Youth with Brain Injury By Joan Esherick Mason Crest Publishers,2004 ISBN: 978-1-59-084734-3
I am not Normal by LPF
It has been more than 24 years now and I have a new perspective. For the years prior to today, the most important issue to me personally has been to be Normal. I studied, rehabbed, went back to college and made new friends so that I could re-live. In my mind I was a newborn child in an adult body. My goal in recuperation was to reach or regain-normalcy. Gosh, I am not normal, just like so many other bi’s. Hundreds and thousand of people have survived some type of brain injury with differing degrees of damage. The fact is we all have damage. Our brain, the organ in our skull that is a brain was damaged or destroyed. We have less than the normal brain capacity. Sounds silly but I my area of comfort came from the-reborn brain analogy. I have told myself since 1986 that I was working to reach normalcy again. That I am normal today. That my brain is in its entirety and re-grown. The fact is I am not normal; other brain injury survivors are not normal. I don’t know if I wish to be normal. I forever will wonder what my life would have been like, had I not been injured and if I would be happier. But since I began writing and studying brain injury I accept that I am not normal. My family and friends, those that stayed with me, and my new friends all understand. I thought they were just prejudiced to me, that they treated me handicapped. Well, maybe in some way they did but when I explain to people that I acknowledge my brain as being damaged and that MY BRAIN is different for the rest of my life, they already knew. I did not until recently. So, it is ok that I need naps, it is okay that things are hard for me. I am not a lazy person; I am not a stupid person. Sometimes I just need extra time. My brain IS damaged and I need EXTRA time to think things through, EXTRA time to rest and EXTRA time to accept the rest of the world. My conclusion is that I accept my needs; do you accept your needs? Whether you are brain injured, normal, physically handicapped, or just alive do you accept your needs? WE ALL NEED TO BE KIND TO OURSELVES AND ALLOW OUR SELVES EXTRA TIME. And it is OK.
Fun and cheap fall activities By LPF
1. Walk around your home. Notice any greenery that is still available. Notice greenery that is gone. Think about all the plants in the area of your home; what was the first to grow in the spring, what is the last to lose its green? What will stay or continue to grow in the winter. If you have a camera I suggest taking pictures to create a fall poster to enjoy later when the ground is snow covered.
2. Put out bird feeders. Feeders can be found in many places. Hardware and pet stores generally have the largest selection. A bird feeder can be cheap and handmade: pine cones can be covered with peanut butter and rolled in seeds then hung out on a tree branch that is a feeder I made back in girl scouts. BUT squirrels will find them soon and help themselves. (They are all Gods creatures, right.) Birdhouses and feeders are wonderful in the winter. I mostly like to put them near the window, my cats and I enjoy seeing the birds, and for me the birds add color while for my indoor cats they are stimulation. Feeders and houses will keep our feathered friends happy, healthy and warm during our cold season.
3. Visit and enjoy local parks. It seems I take parks for granted all summer long but when the spring begins I am so quick to take walks, drive through and just sit on a bench and enjoy the parks near my home. In the fall parks seem to feel larger because of the decreased number of people and decreased foliage. Trails, trees, ponds, lakes, baseball diamonds and picnic areas are still available for viewing and use at the parks. Pack up a sweater and a blanket or two so you can enjoy the outside. Winter is wonderful but I am feeling the need to enjoy the last of green, see the ground before snow and enjoy the sun while it is still out.
Vic’s house, a house I would live in By LPF
Vic’s House, LLC 21885 S. Tuller Ct Southfield, MI 48076 248-200-0390 vicshouse21885@yahoo.com
I spent a few hours at Vic’s house in Southfield, this past month. This is a privately owned home that provides one to one care giving to brain injured persons.
I pulled up to a nice neighborhood with landscaped yards and cement sidewalks. I visited in the afternoon, the neighborhood was quiet, it was a sunny day and I felt safe and comfortable as I got out of my car. Families were walking around and a gentleman drove by in his motorized wheelchair.
I was greeted at the door by two friendly dogs, then the Director-Sharon Pellar and Vic. Vic is a brain injury survivor, the home namesake and currently the only resident. The home has clean, comfortable/easy to maneuver carpets and tiled floors. Being a dog lover I immediately sat on the floor to pet the dogs as I got to know Sharon & Vic.
I was given a tour; I saw a well-organized business office and a fully equipped kitchen. Just beyond the kitchen is a large and well-adapted bathroom. The bathroom was completely tiled, with plenty of room. I believe any type of supportive equipment a person requires would fit. It was furnished with adaptive materials such as a hand held shower and grab bars. I then saw 3 bedrooms, two beds in each room, the beds were at opposite ends of the rooms and each room had plenty of room to walk or move a wheel chair also for each person I saw a sizeable portable closet.
I used the employee’s bathroom where I again had confidence in cleanliness. Every step I took, all walls and floors were clean. All furniture was in good condition happily I never noticed any odor. I asked to see the menu for meals; I saw dinner items such as corned beef cabbage, fish and lobster offered.
The home is used by sometimes as a respite if a caregiver needs to go out of town and has had full time residents in the past. Right now there are 5 open beds. If I needed 2-hour assistance I would move here.
Vic’s house is hosting a game night on in November, everyone is invited I the evening is free. If you have an interest in living at this home or just want to enjoy playing games and being social -contact 248-200-0390 for the date and a reservation.
All rights to this news line is solely owned by Lori Purdy Faitel. At no cost this may be copied or sent to others. If any part of the news line is to be published in any other matter the Lori must give consent. Articles not written by LPF were put in this news line with the permission of the writer and their bylines are appropriate.
JOB WANTED: I am looking for a volunteer to improve the appearance of this news line. Contact me for the job or anything else at aibdpurdy@yahoo.com
Have a blessed day
TOMORROW IS A NEW DAY September 20, 2010 Created by Lori Purdy Faitel (LPF), Author of “AM I BRAINDAMAGED?” Memoir of Return to Life After My Head Injury Email: Aibdpurdy@yahoo.com This is the premiere edition of my monthly newsletter to educate, support and provide comfort to anyone whose life has been touched by Brain Injury. Please email me if you do not want to continue to receive monthly issues. How many Brain Injured people do you know? By LPF I personally know of literally hundreds. Some Brain Injured people are long time friends and relatives who have had a stroke aka CVA. Many are Traumatic Brain Injury survivors that I have met and spent time with through the Brain Injury Association of Michigan (BIA & BIAMI) and visiting local support groups. A Brain Injury Survivor could be anyone, anywhere; I met a survivor of an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) at a writer’s club. I met another unexpectedly at my recent High School 30th year reunion. It seems when I tell that I am a survivor everyone knows of someone who has had one of many possible types of Brain injury. Most people who are living with deficits or changes in their lives from a Brain injury appear fine. A Brain Injured person could be your neighbor, your mechanic, your therapist, your clergy, your boss or your friend and you may not even know it. I was Brain Injured in 1986 from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). In my experience and observation, survivors have a bad reputation of being uncontrollable and inappropriate. Most of us have experienced times when we react to others unexpectedly. At sometime on our journey back, the use of inappropriate language can be normal for us; please correct us before it becomes a permanent habit. From what I learn in meeting other survivors is that we need to re-learn how to act in polite society or function in a socially appropriate manner. For the non-brain injured, this happened to us much as it did when a non-injured child learned and developed. Every human, how they treat or act toward others determines if they are liked or disliked, same for us Brain Injury Survivors. With the exception that we learn like a child, but we are in what appears to be a normal post a child body. That is, those of us who were not brain injured at birth. I feel safe in saying for my demographic that most of us are continually trying to be socially appropriate, accepted and liked. Almost all non-brain injured people I have had contact with these days say, “I would never had guessed that you are a brain injury survivor.” See definitions below to learn some of the various types and names for brain damaged of differing degrees. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia An acquired brain injury (ABI) is brain damage caused by events after birth, rather than as part of a genetic or congenital disorder. It usually affects cognitive, physical, emotional, social or independent functioning and can result from either traumatic brain injury (e.g. physical trauma due to accidents, falls, assaults etc.) or nontraumatic injury derived from either an internal or external source (e.g. stroke, brain tumors, infection, poisoning, hypoxia, ischemia, encephalopathy or substance abuse). Most definitions of ABI exclude neurodegenerative disorders. From “The Brain Injury resource Center” an online service http://www.headinjury.com/tbitypes.htm The Problem. Though not always visible and sometimes seemingly minor, brain injury is complex. It can cause physical, cognitive, social, and vocational changes that affect an individual over a period of time, or permanently. In many cases recovery becomes a lifelong process of adjustments and accommodations for the individual and the family. Depending on the extent and location of the injury, impairments caused by a brain injury can vary widely. Among the most common impairments are difficulties with memory, mood, and concentration. Others include significant deficits in organizational and reasoning skills, learning, cognitive, and executive functions. Traumatic Brain Injuries - TBI Traumatic Brain Injuries can result from a closed head injury or a penetrating head injury. Closed Injury: A closed injury occurs when the head suddenly and violently hits an object but the object does not break through the skull. Penetrating Injury: A penetrating injury occurs when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue. As the first line of defense, the skull is particularly vulnerable to injury. Skull fractures occur when the bone of the skull cracks or breaks. A depressed skull fracture occurs when pieces of the broken skull press into the tissue of the brain. A penetrating skull fracture occurs when something pierces the skull, such as a bullet, leaving a distinct and localized injury to brain tissue. Skull fractures can cause cerebral contusion. Anoxia: Another insult to the brain that can cause injury is anoxia. Anoxia is a condition in which there is an absence of oxygen supply to an organ's tissues, even if there is adequate blood flow to the tissue. Hypoxia: Hypoxia refers to a decrease in oxygen supply rather than a complete absence of oxygen, and ischemia is inadequate blood supply, as is seen in cases in which the brain swells. In any of these cases, without adequate oxygen, a biochemical cascade called the ischemic cascade is unleashed, and the cells of the brain can die within several minutes. This type of injury is often seen in near-drowning victims, in heart attack patients, or in people who suffer significant blood loss from other injuries that decrease blood flow to the brain • A closed head injury means a person received a hard blow to the head from striking an object, but the object did not break the skull. An open, or penetrating, head injury means a person was hit with an object that broke the skull and entered the brain. This usually happens when moving at high speed, such as going through the windshield during a car accident. It can also happen from a gunshot to the head. Brain damage or brain injury is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Brain_damage Brain damage may occur due to a wide range of conditions, illnesses or injuries. Possible causes of widespread (diffuse) brain damage include prolonged hypoxia (shortage of oxygen), poisoning, infection and neurological illness. Common causes of focal or localized brain damage are physical trauma (head injury), stroke, aneurysm or neurological illness.
Fellow Survivors who write on the Internet, all is copied exactly as it was in their blog.
Second Chance to live: I have contacted Craig and he has given me permission to copy his articles for this newsletter-LPF All material presented on Second Chance to Live is copyright and cannot be copied, reproduced, or distributed in any way without the express, written consent of Craig J. Phillips, MRC, BA. http://secondchancetolive.wordpress.com/ Through much of my life, I had no idea that I was a traumatic brain injury survivor, much less a person with an invisible disability. As I have shared and alluded to in many of my posts, I internalized my despair and disappointment as a reflection of being a flawed individual. I absorbed the intolerance that I received as a quotient of being inadequate and defective. I practiced self-hate because I owned the messages given to me through ignorance. I spent many years of my life questioning the struggle of life itself. Unconsciously I believed that I deserved to be abused by people, because I did not know how to trust my judgment. I lacked self-confidence for a host of reasons, but mostly because I relied on others to validate my worth and value. Living with a Disability and Accomplishing Greatness From: Second Chance to Live <secondchancetolive@carolina.rr.com> Posted: 19 Aug 2010 07:43 PM PDT Hello and welcome back to Second Chance to Live. I am happy to have you around my table. I have been doing some research on celebrities living with brain injuries and other kinds of “disabilities. During the course of my research I read about the lives of other famous people who – while living with various disabilities – achieved great success in their chosen field and passion. “People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success, because the don’t know when to quit. Most men (and women) succeed because they are determined to.” George Allen (and women) my addition. Each of these individuals – who are considered famous – all had various hurdles to overcome to reach the heights that made them famous. Individuals achieved what made them famous — in their chosen field – because they made the decision to get started. These individuals did not allow their disability to keep them from using their gifts, talents and abilities in ways that worked for them. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” Mark Twain Each of these individuals did not allow their disabilities to define who they were or are as individuals. As I reflected upon what each of these individuals had achieved with their lives – while living with their disability – I found myself empowered by their example. As I read, I was reminded that I too could accomplish great things with my life – while living with my disability – by getting started. “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” Helen Keller In life, we may be living with a disability, but our disability does not have to limit our ability in life. Instead, we can be inspired by the lives of people who have come before us, who have achieved great things while living with a disability. We can accomplish greatness – at our own pace. We can give of whom we are by using our gifts, talents and abilities in ways that work for us. “If you go to work on your goals, your goals will work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.” Jim Rohn “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back wards.” “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” Abraham Lincoln Here is my Contact Page. Send comments or questions and I will respond to you. http://www.biau.org/what/what.html From the Brain Injury Association of Utah All brain injuries are unique. The brain can receive several different types of injuries depending on the type of force and amount of force that impacts the head. The type of injury the brain receives may affect just one functional area of the brain, various areas, or all areas of the brain. Thoughts for my fellow Brain Injury Survivors Posted by LPF on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Under: blog support This blog is for everyone to read, but I am writing specifically to my fellow Brain Injury Survivors. It seems the more I meet other survivors, the more I recognize a personality trait that we all share. Lack of self- confidence and/or lack of inner strength. I remember many years of asking absolutely everyone who was nice to me “Do you really like me?” I thought my feelings of insecurity were just that, insecure feelings. If I had known other Brain Injury survivors felt the same insecurity and lack of true friendship, perhaps I would have learned earlier that I was dealing with a normal emotion post Brain Injury. I remember asking my mom almost daily if she would still like me if I weren’t her daughter. My Brain Injury happened when I was an adult and living in an apartment with a friend. After the injury I had to move back to my parents home. I needed 24-hour supervision and teaching. My mother raised me for a second time after the injury, when I was 24 years old. I moved back into my mom and dad’s home, my physical movements and mental thoughts were probably that of a preschooler or younger. In the year I lived with them, I quickly matured to the abilities of a teenager. When I was as needy as a young child I had no concern if people helped or were nice to me. About one year after living with my parents I developed enough and was able to move back in with my friend at my old apartment. I continued to require supervision but my roommate agreed to watch me as she worked evenings at a Pizzeria and could be with me during the days. In my mind, my roommate (who was a friend from High School) was volunteering to take care of me- who knows why-pity? My friends came to visit me once in awhile, my mom spoke with me on the phone any time I wanted. Was the attention because my friends and family felt responsibility or pity? I distinctly remember asking my mom over and over again “Do you really like me?” I asked my friends “are you sure you like me?” I asked my boyfriend who is now my husband “why do you still like me? Do you just feel sorry for me?” I have been working and living in the world of the non-head injured for about 17 years and I accept, like any adult should, that I cannot please everyone and some people are just not meant to become friends. As I make more and more friends who are brain injury victims, I am hearing them use phrases I once used. I continually am asked if I continue to like or hate them. Asked if I am truly busy or just making an excuse. Since I have been comfortable with myself, I try to let everyone in my life know that I appreciate and care for him or her. I try to send cards and email to my family telling them that I love them. I try to tell friends each time I see them that I am happy to spend time with them. I volunteer for a few charities, and when I participate in charity activities I tell the volunteers and the ill how I enjoy every minute I spend with them. I thought I was good about letting people know my feelings toward them. In the fall of 2009 I became active in local Brain Injury support groups, I have built familiarity with and friendship with other Brain Injury survivors. Every time I forget how uncomfortable I used to be in my own skin/recreated mind, another survivor seems to repeat feelings I had in the past. It seems we all (us survivors) are very insecure; think about it, ever since the injury people have told us how to do things that we should already know. Non-brain injured People bring our mistakes to the forefront, we are trying to live our life like a “normal” or non-head injured person yet the non-injured seem to notice everything we do wrong. Every time we acknowledge something that we have done incorrectly or stumbled or stuttered or choked or repeated or forgot; we just want to kick ourselves. If we can’t like ourselves then how can someone else like us. How can someone else want to be with us or think about us? I am certain my comfort in the world of the non-brain injured became stronger as I became comfortable in my own skin/my-recreated mind. And as I have become comfortable with me, I see the non-brain injured stumble and choke and make mistakes then move on with their lives. That is life, life for everyone. A mistake is a mistake, just correct it or forget it. I must repeat this sentence to myself often. I know for myself that I am not perfect; And I do make mistakes, I forget things, I am unintentionally rude, I tire easily and I do many other imperfect things; AND I am accepted in the world. I am happy with me. I accept who I am; I embrace the me of today. We are all different, even the non-head injured, everyone makes mistakes. Everyone just tries to correct mistakes or they don’t care. Everyone forgets other people’s names, everyone gets the hiccups, everyone needs sleep, and everyone has a quality or two that they are not proud of. We are all people of the world, we all live together and for me to live happy in my skin/mind I had to learn to be happy with me. The me I have recreated-the me of today is a content person. I will always strive to be more intelligent, to learn more and to help others. Even without the above, I am happy with whom I am. Ask Lori. What’s up Lori? In this section Lori will answer questions. The questions this month came from speaking engagements. Email questions for next month to Lori at: Aibdpurdy@yahoo.com Lori’s Biography Lori Purdy Faitel 1962-Current. Born in Lansing, Michigan, Lori was an only child until 1973 when her favorite toy; her brother Christopher was born. She lived with her parents until she was 24 years old at which time Lori began a promising life as an up and coming business woman and moved into an apartment in the Novi, Michigan area. A life changing automobile accident occurred which devastated that life in 1986. The publication of AM I BRAIN DAMAGED? Became a driving force in Lori's life, she now writes and wishes to publish more non-fiction and fictional works. . Future aspirations include publications of fictional stories to be authored in her pen name of Crystal Rose. Since 1989 Lori's main focus has been to ease the pain of all people who suffer from head injuries. Lori has been a Certified Occupational Therapist since 1991, and continues to work in that field part time. After years of many therapies and numerous attempts of find a "new" Lori, she now leads a happy and healthy life with her husband and multiple pets in a comfortable private home in Middle-Eastern Michigan. ?What would you say was your turning point, when did you stop having fits of anger/rages? ANSWER: I distinctively remember a specific day about 4 years after the injury. I was in my home, which was new to me and I was newly married, I was cleaning under my glass dining table. I was literally under the table with paper towel and glass cleaner. I banged my head and screamed as many swear/cuss words as I could think of. It was summer and my windows were open, I think it was a weekend. My husband was outside working on his car. My husband came in to see what had happened “Lori, are you ok?” after I replied that I was fine, just angry that I smashed my head. My husband took a deep breath and calmly said “If you want to be treated NORMAL, than you have to act normal. Everyone outside can hear you screaming.” I don’t remember what happened after that but this exchange is very strong in my mind today, and I don’t remember ever getting so openly upset since. ?Have you ever been depressed? ANSWER: I am happy almost every minute of every day and have been for several years. BUT for what felt like years immediately after the injury and when I was both mentally and physically unable to perform, I prayed to God. I remember begging-“Please let me die. I don’t want to live in this world any more, it’s to hard. Just take me dear Lord. ”I know that I am alive today only because I remembered my dad told me when I was a child that the only sin I could commit that Jesus could not forgive me, would be the sin of suicide. ?You tell how wonderful your husband is and all he did for you yet he does not participate in your talks and visits, why? Answer: We were dating at the time of my injury. We had been dating for about 5; we married after medical tests showed my brain functioning to be normal (3 years post injury.) All along my husband has been concerned that he may say or do something to hinder my re-development and I believe he feels the same way about others. My husband does not want to say or do anything that may be detrimental in my crusade to encourage and educate regarding Brain Injury. To contact me Lori Purdy Faitel regarding this newsletter: Aibdpurdy@yahoo.com, feel free to email questions, comments and articles for future newlines. Because of the donations of wonderful companies I am able to print this newsletter, so please let me know anyone who would be interested in a paper copy or does not have Internet access. Thank you to Dr. Rodnick Chiropractic in Union Lake and Oakland Michigan Homes for helping with costs. Anyone who would like recognition and advertising in this newsletter for a small donation toward materials and postage please contact me.
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