(Newswire.net — August 22, 2014) — Ruth Fernandes and Michelle McDonald, The Director of Operations at The Brain Injury Society of Toronto (BIST), joined Rogers’ popular television program Daytime Toronto to discuss the far-reaching effects of brain injuries. There are over eighteen thousand brain injuries reported in Ontario each year. That number has been increasing over the last few years with new findings and understanding of the severity of concussions. A brain injury can happen suddenly and unexpectedly which will effect more than just the person who sustained the trauma. It is important for people to truly understand the impact a traumatic brain injury can have on a person, their family, and friends.
Ruth Fernandes is also a committee member for Mix & Mingle, a event hosted by the Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA) & BIST to raise money to deliver important programs to individuals and families dealing with the effects of brain injury. Currently brain injuries are the leading cause of death in people under the age of forty in Ontario. Most people are unaware of the seriousness of brain injuries, what it is like to live with one, or how prevalent it is. The BIST, in an effort to bring further awareness to the condition, has created the website areyouaware.ca to promote it.
Brain injuries can be the result of many different incidents such as motor vehicle accidents, stroke, brain aneurism, or a sports injury. Most people don’t understand that someone suffering trauma to the head could need a week to a month to fully recover, while some people will never restore their brain activity to the level it was at before the incident. Often called the invisible disability it is hard for someone not being effected by this trauma to completely understand its complexity. Alarmingly, twenty two percent of all survivors living with acquired brain injury also suffer from socialized isolation and never leave their homes.
One of this biggest topics in brain injury treatments right now is environmental enrichment. This urges the family and friends, of survivors of this condition, to engage them in a stimulating environment through cognitive exercises that enrich the brain. This is as simple as bringing this person along to events and gatherings where they can interact with their surroundings. Every brain injury is unique, needs to be handled differently, and by increasing awareness Ruth Fernandes, BIST, & OBIA can help get survivors the programs they need for their lives.
This year celebrated the Mix & Mingle’s 10th anniversary and was held on June 11th. Neinstein & Associates helped raise $150,000 and more than $500,000 over the last 5 years for BIST and OBIA to help families dealing with brain injuries.
About: Neinstein & Associates was founded by Gary Neinstein of Toronto and is currently ran by his son the managing partner Greg Neinstein.