Brain Injury Awareness Month 2011

[Tom Tatlock]

Brain Injury Awareness Month 2011

What plans do you, and/or your state BIA affiliate have for Brain Injury Awareness Month

2011  Both you and your BIA will be included in “You”.

1. Have “You” contacted your local public radio stations, your public TV stations, or the

cable public access stations asking them to schedule, feature, or develop programs on
TBI? (See questions below.)

2. Have “You” contacted the health reporter or an editor at your local newspaper about

doing some articles on TBI?

a. Do “You” know of any persons, or family members who would be willing to featured in such a story?

b. Do “You” have the basic TBI information that should be included in a story?

c. Do “You” have a TBI expert to suggest to them for an interview?

d. How about articles in a “Free Shopper” or “Bargain Bulletin” type paper?

3. Commercial radio stations ---- options by age of audience, time of day, type of music

4. Distribution of Brain Injury Awareness posters by:

a. Members of TBI support groups

b. Please suggest other ideas

5. Scheduling speakers on TBI for:

a. Civic groups

b. Provider groups

c. How to get invited?

d. What to present and what to handout?

6. Involving other groups and organizations:

a. In the printing and distribution of BIAA Brain Injury Awareness Poster

1. HMOs, large medical clinics.

b. Co-presentations: VA staff, providers from other disciplines

7. Poster placement:

a. University departments of:

Social Work; Nursing; Special Education; Psychology; OT and PT

b. High Schools: Nurses, Coaches, Guidance Counselors, Social Workers

c. Local libraries and their affiliates

d. Shelters or programs for homelessness; domestic abuse; substance

abuse, and mental health clinics




8. Recommended Resources to use for different groups



9. Ideas for:


a. Rural Areas


b. Urban Areas 


c. Suburban Areas 



10. Please add YOUR ideas and suggestions.

Comment on what's worked & what hasn't.


Especially on hard to reach groups --- like physicians, etc. 



Thank you,

Tom

[Tom Tatlock]

Thanks for the reminder. here are some ideas:

Planning for Brain Injury Awareness Month (BIAM) 2011

Growing the Grassroots in the BIA- State Affiliates

 

Brain Injury Awareness Month (BIAM) presents all of us with an opportunity to educate others about TBI. Effective education efforts can even be free. BIA members and support group members can be actively engaged in educating others about TBI by participating in BIAM activities and initiatives. This strengths the local groups and “puts a face on TBI” for the community.

Some of the following suggestions have been implemented in Northeast Wisconsin without any cost to BIA-Wisconsin and others are possibilities with minimal expense:

1. Use the tracking document developed by BIA-Michigan to identify

goals and to measure results.

2. Discuss BIAM at your state conference:

a. Ask members for ideas and suggestions.

b. Offer opportunities for involvement to individuals, support

groups, professionals, etc.

3. Select the theme for BIAM as soon as possible:

a. Develop a plan that utilizes the same theme.

b. “TBI is a Chronic Condition” --- a possible future theme

4. Involve local Brain Injury Support groups:

a. Distribute posters to The stores where you shop; your place of worship; your local libraries

The schools in your area --- K-12, colleges, technical schools, other post-secondary schools, public and private schools Your own doctor’s office and those of your family members Social groups that you belong to

Ask your local library to create a TBI display for BIAM and/or a community discussion on TBI.

b.

c. issue or sign the BIAM proclamation

c. Promote in March the annual “Walk for Thought" in October.

5. Ask to be invited to speak at various groups next March:

a. Local civic groups; b. Local libraries; c. Aging and Disability Resource Centers;

d. Continuing education programs for physicians, teachers, nurses, psychologists, athletic coaches or trainers, etc.;

e. College or high school classes (e.g., special education, health).

6. Ask to be invited to appear on/in local media:

a. Radio or TV (both public and private stations) for interviews or to provide resources or background information;

b. Local newspapers (appropriate section of the paper; specific prepared content; names of local, state or national experts).

7. Build alliances with groups that are interested in TBI or that serve

persons who are at “high risk” for TBI:

a. Providers of care who work with the persons who are

Have local elected officials (Mayor, County Board Chairman, etc)

homeless, incarcerated, have been abused, have substance

abuse or mental health problems; or have a “dual diagnosis”;

b. Veterans groups, including the National Guard and the various

auxiliary groups for spouses;

c. Government officials and other groups that are looking for

alternatives to incarceration.

8. Plan/write articles to be published in state journals or newsletters for:

a. Family physicians and other physicians;

b. Other professional groups;

c. Groups represented by members of the state Brain Injury

Advisory Council (e.g., Department of Public Instruction to send to counselors and social workers in every public school in the state).

9. Contact the large groups of medical providers (e.g., clinics, HMOs, hospital organizations, etc.) and ask them to:

a. Print and distribute the BIAA posters for BIAM.

b. Make TBI part of the public service or public education campaigns.

 c. Include TBI articles in their in-house newsletters. (They often have funds designated for such educational efforts.)

You will come up with many more good ideas and suggestions. Please send them to the TBI Challenge.

Now is the time to plan for BIAM 2011.

Ceptember Joy said:

were coming upon brain injury awareness month lets share our ideas of how to get the word out this year

[Donna McNeil]

we have awareness bracelets with this site on them

[Tom Tatlock]

Thank you, Donna. That is a good idea.

Where did you order them and how much do they cost?

Donna McNeil said:

we have awareness bracelets with this site on them

[Jules]

yes we are fast approaching brain injury awareness month, we have so much work to do most people still do not know about brain injury we are the hidden ones, we must change this

[Tom Tatlock]

I agree. We are "the hidden ones" who have to teach the others. People are always saying, "You look so good" ---- "You sound so good" --- "I get tired too."--- "Yes, I know what you mean, I have trouble with memory." Why does that still bother you? Your TBI was "mild" and it has been 11 years!"--- etc.

Those comments really get to me and they get me to want to get real information to other people.

I don't have the energy or the skills to fully explain TBI to others but I can try to get them to read about TBI, or at least to be exposed to information on TBI.

Next year BIAA will selecting a new theme for Brain Injury Awareness Month, i hope that they pick

TBI is a Chronic Condition.

Good luck in your efforts to inform and teach others.

Jules said:

yes we are fast approaching brain injury awareness month, we have so much work to do most people still do not know about brain injury we are the hidden ones, we must change this

[Justin]

we all need to be getting the word out good luck let make everyone aware

[Fred Siller]

We are having a Brain Walk and raising money for a school program. Its a short walk 1.6 miles but we will have a both with all of our stories about how we aquired our injury, how it changed our life etc.

[Tom Tatlock]

That is a Great idea!!! Brain Walk, fund raising and personal stories so that people can connect with the reality of TBI.

How are you going to use your stories? Are you handing them out?

Putting them on a poster board? Some other way?

Fred Siller said:

We are having a Brain Walk and raising money for a school program. Its a short walk 1.6 miles but we will have a both with all of our stories about how we aquired our injury, how it changed our life etc.

[Holly]

getting cities to proclaim it brain injury awareness month

[Fred Siller]

Yah Tom we are having a booth and have made a DVD with a few number of survivors sharing their stories. It will be playing contiuously along with posters that will be hung up around the booth. Another way we are educating people on TBI is through our fundraising. When we are asking for donations we share with them our story. It is a short walk 1.6 miles held at a park. It should be a great event!

[Julie]

I love the wrist bands here on this site

[Brit]

so how is everyone doing get the word out, we are getting the word out, the more people doing it the bigger the impact, we need impact good luck fellow thrivers