Healing the invisible wounds
Brain Injury Association offers programs and support
It was January 2019 and Jamie Parker was a healthy, happy 51-year-old enjoying life just outside of Kentville. Then one evening after a heavy snowfall, she slipped on ice, flipped backwards and struck her head.
“I felt very disoriented but didn’t feel like I had experienced a life-changing accident,” she recalls. “But the following morning I knew something was terribly wrong.”
Parker was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury and was told by her physician she could return to work the following week. That turned out to be overly optimistic, as Parker continued to experience constant headaches, vision impairment, attention and memory issues.
“I struggle to process information and recognize familiar objects and people,” Parker says. “It turned out to be impossible for me to return to work or resume many of the activities of my life that I so enjoyed.”
As many as 80,000 Nova Scotians have experienced some form of brain injury, says Jennifer Myers, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia. This includes traumatic injuries from car accidents, falls, violence and sports injuries, as well as acquired brain injuries from events such as strokes, seizures, tumours and meningitis.
The Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia is committed to providing programs, education, support, advocacy and community for those living with brain injuries, their families and caregivers. The association plays a vital role in helping people move forward with living, Myers says.
“Once somebody is released from the hospital and has gone through rehab, there really is a ‘what’s next’ because you live with that brain injury for the rest of your life,” she says.
Some people need to learn to drive again, while others struggle to regain the power of speech. Mood, cognition, memory and behaviour can all be impacted.
Many people with brain injuries struggle with sensitivities to light and sound.
The association offers a range of support services and programs, including peer support groups, yoga, music therapy and weekly coffee chats.
“Following my injury, I was unable to find resources on my own because reading and retaining information was almost impossible,” Parker says.
A friend put her in contact with the Annapolis Valley chapter of the Brain Injury Association. Prior to the pandemic, the group would meet at the Eastern Kings Memorial Health Centre in Wolfville and also went out for meals and the occasional hockey game. Participants varied in age, circumstances and abilities, Parker recalls.
“Some people had been recovering for 30 years, and others — like me — were just months after their brain injury.”
As restrictions are lifted, the Annapolis Valley chapter is resuming in-person activities. The group has helped her navigate her “new normal.”
“There was so much support, compassion and knowledge in that group,” she says. “It was the one place that I can feel all of the grief, loss and worries about what would become of me. The friendships that I formed gave me confidence, and I was so thankful to have these survivors to inspire me.”
For more information on the organization, call toll-free 1-833-452-7246.