Injury association has prevention on the brain
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK- Anew township agency is getting a head start on preventing potential injuries.

The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, a self-funded, chartered affiliate of the Brain Injury Association of America, recently moved from Edison to 825 Georges Road in North Brunswick. The purpose of the organization is to support people, with brain injuries, advocate public awareness and teach prevention of both traumatic and acquired brain injuries.

Atraumatic injury is one that is caused by an external physical force that impairs cognitive, behavioral or emotional abilities. These occur from everyday activities such as falls, motor vehicle accidents, assaults, sports injuries and concussions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.4 millionAmericans sustain a traumatic brain injury every year. More than 80,000 of those victims experience a long-term disability related to those injuries, and more than 50,000 people die because of them.

In New Jersey, there are nearly 9,000 trauma cases that result in hospitalization or death, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services' Center for Health Statistics. Overall, the leading cause is auto, bicycle and recreational vehicle crashes, but in 2003, falls outnumbered accidents by 20 percent.

The association also focuses on acquired injuries, which are caused by medical conditions such as a stroke, encephalitis, aneurysms, lack of oxygen, meningitis or brain tumors.

"The way brain injuries affect people is so very different. After a brain injury, in almost all cases, there are cognitive effects. Some people have physical changes, sometimes not. Some people have emotional changes, some other times not," said Barbara Geiger-Parker, the association's president and CEO.

Therefore, the Brain InjuryAssociation helps victims and their loved ones adjust to their new lifestyle. They hold support groups in 17 of the 21 New Jersey counties. They help with family support so that relatives living with victims of brain injuries can receive social work assistance. They also try to find employment opportunities for those with the brain injuries.

"Our organization provides services you can't get anyplace else. Hospitals do a good job and take care of people medically, so we don't try to do any of that. But we have a lot of resources for people to take the next steps for social services and support services," Geiger-Parker said.

They also try to minimize the number of avoidable brain injuries by advocating the importance of helmets, seat belts, proper sports uniforms and equipment, and senior citizen safety.

The association holds the TREK summer camp, The Kids on the Block elementary school puppet show program about bicycle safety, the Heads Up! Seniors program on how to prevent falls, and the UGotBrains.com Web site for teenagers.

They observe Brain Injury Awareness Month in March at which time they hold an annual fundraising gala. The Walk for Thought/Cycle for Safety event in October raised $74,000 last year, and an annual seminar will be held at the Sheraton in Eatontown next month.

They also provide resources to those who are currently impaired because of an injury. The organization works to find funding sources for hospital bills, they recommend doctors and look for support services throughout the state.

The Brain Injury Association also has access to rehabilitation centers and programs that can be referred out.

"We don't just help people with brain injuries, we also help their families, their friends, and we help health-care professionals," said communications associate Bill Kolbenschlag.

Donations are appreciated.

For more information, visit www.bianj.org or call the toll-free help line at 1 (800) 669-4323.