We have a variety of resources for survivors, family, and the public. Please share with your family, friends, and community.
These can be made available in print for you. Simply email info@braininjuryns.com or call the office at 902-422-5000.
We will continue to enhance this section with resources by category on a variety of brain injury topics. We carefully choose these resources for you as they are from trusted sources and evidence-based. Please scroll down to view all that we have available, or click the links below to jump to a specific section:
General Brain Injury
Nova Scotia ABI Services Directory
We are pleased to announce the launch of our new online, interactive ABI Services Directory! This directory focuses primarily on publicly-funded or free/subsidized programs and services available to brain injury survivors and families across the province. Click HERE to view the online directory.
If you would rather view or download the latest printed publication of the directory as a PDF, Click HERE for the full PDF directory.
Available for free on our website and in health facilities across the provinces. We are thrilled to provide this resource to our community to help navigate the continuum of services available to support life after ABI.
Concussion
View our Concussion Information and Resources page
Through a partnership with Concussion Nova Scotia, we are happy to provide access to up-to-date information and resources and concussions. View all of our excellent resources and information on our concussion information page.
For Families and Caregivers
Supporting the Supporter Series
This six-session program was designed to assist family and caregivers in exploring your role, acknowledge how your life has changed, and provide you with strategies for managing challenges while connecting with others with similar experiences. The online series we offered consisted of two parts: Videos posted on our YouTube channel every Friday. Then, the following Thursday, an interactive Zoom session where you saw and heard our facilitator, Amy Sullivan, and had a discussion with the group on care giving and brain injury. While this series has completed, the videos are still available for you to watch, and learn for free!
Ontario Brain Injury Association
Our friends at Ontario Brain Injury Association have created an excellent, free website dedicated to Caregiving After Brain Injury with six education modules to help you navigate the challenges involved with supporting your loved one’s recovery journey with patience and understanding.
“Head Injuries Happen to Families”
Judith Falconer, Ph.D
“How acquired brain injury can affect the family”
The Children’s Trust, U.K.
“Family Change After Brain Injury”
BrainLine
In-person Supports
We offer a variety of programs, supports, and training sessions for survivors & family/caregivers
Peter’s Place is a private provider with proven success in brain injury rehabilitation. They offer both Residential & Community Rehabilitation programs, as well as the Brain Injury Recovery Centre, which is the first purpose-built community space in NS for the brain injury community. We operate our Community Hub out of the same location (615 Windmill Road).
NS Health Acquired Brain Injury Team
Comprised of multiple services and interdisciplinary teams. The cornerstone of care is an organized, programmatic approach to interdisciplinary assessment, treatment, and education for survivors of brain injuries & their families.
Department of Health & Wellness Continuing Care Services
Continuing Care serves persons who need on-going care, either on a long-term or short-term basis. Including a range of home and community care and long-term care services.
Prevention
Tips to Avoid Injuries
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Wear your seat belt.
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- Seat belts reduce serious injuries and deaths from crashes by about 50 percent.
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Don’t drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Alcohol and drugs, including prescription medications, can impair a person’s ability to drive. Alcohol-impaired drivers are involved in about one in three crash deaths.
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Don’t text or use a cell phone while driving.
- Cell phones are the number one source of driver distraction. The NHTSA reports that drivers who talk on cell phones or text while driving are four times as likely to get into a car crash serious enough to injure themselves.
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Wear a helmet.
- Adults and children should wear a helmet and protective gear when participating in any sports and recreational activities. Always wear a helmet when:
- riding a bike, motorcycle, or skateboard
- skiing, snowboarding, or using inline skates
- playing a contact sport, such as football, ice hockey, or boxing
- playing baseball or softball
- Adults and children should wear a helmet and protective gear when participating in any sports and recreational activities. Always wear a helmet when:
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Prevent falls at home.
- Falls can be prevented in older adults by doing the following:
- installing handrails in bathrooms and on both sides of a stairway
- removing tripping hazards, such as throw rugs and clutter
- improving lighting throughout your home
- maintaining regular activity for older adults
- using nonslip mats in the bathtub or shower floor
- getting regular eye exams
- Falls can be prevented in older adults by doing the following:
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Prevent head injuries in children.
- Head injuries can be prevented in children by following these tips:
- installing window guards to prevent falls out of open windows
- using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs
- keeping stairs clear of clutter
- using a nonslip mat in the bathtub or shower floor
- using playgrounds with shock-absorbing materials on the ground
- Head injuries can be prevented in children by following these tips:
A Parent’s Guide to Helmet and Recreational Safety
Child Safety Link
Parachute Canada is Canada’s leader in injury prevention, focusing on three key areas where people are unintentionally injured: in the home, at play, and on the move. Educating and advocating for the prevention of serious injury in our homes, in sports and recreation and on our roads.
Inspiration
Member Spotlight – Read stories of brain injury survivors and their families in Nova Scotia
You’re not alone. Learn about others going through their recovery journey – hear their stories, solutions, challenges, and successes to provide hope and support to others who are having similar experiences.
Books written by members of Brain Injury NS:
Threading the Needles of Life
George Crocker
A candid and courageous account of the author’s personal journey that will inspire and encourage other brain injury survivors and their families and anyone who is threading their own needles. Copies available at our resource library at the Hub.
Lost and Found: Recovering Your Spirit After A Concussion
Elizabeth Pierce
Elizabeth is a best-selling author, NIA instructor, and concussion survivor. Copies are available at our resource at the Hub. “Concussion is an injury that can make us want to give up. And yet it is important that we do not give up on ourselves while we are healing.”
My Jelly Brain: How I Learned To Protect My Brain After A Car Accident
Mark Selvidge & M. Betty-Ann Buott
This is the story of Mark and his Brain. At the age of 10, Mark sustained a brain injury which left him with some significant physical impairments. In this story we see how Mark and his Brain recover and over come these injuries. We learn how to keep our brains safe, and we learn the importance of including and accepting others.
Our Music Therapy Group – Original Songs
In addition to enjoying the healing power of exploring music together, they have also written their own songs and performed live to a packed house at the Carleton in Halifax. These four original songs were recorded, mixed and mastered by John Murphy of Simple Productions, who is also a brain injury survivor. Celebrating resilience, recovery, and the support of family, friends, and community, this group inspires its members and everyone around them with their courage expressed through the joy of making music together.
Special thanks to Mackenzie Costrun-Li and Find Your Voice Music Therapy. Copies available now at The Hub, $10 each. All funds raised go toward supporting on-going music therapy programming. Learn more about our Music Therapy program >
Strategies of Hope – Documentary
Strategies of Hope is an innovative documentary collaboration between filmmaker Ariella Pahlke and patients, staff, and families at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre’s Acquired Brain Injury Program.
Using a variety of art forms, they explore the effects of a stroke or brain injury and share strategies for recovery.
Strategies of Hope is sponsored by the NS Rehab Centre’s Acquired Brain Injury Program, the QEII Foundation’s Rehabilitation Endowment Fund, the Artists-in-Residence within Dalhousie University Humanities-HEALS Program, the Robert Pope Foundation, and the Centre for Art Tapes.
Latest Brain Injury News, from Brainline.org
- Could anesthesia-induced dreams wipe away trauma? April 18, 2024In March, Harrison Chow, MD, and colleagues at Stanford Medicine published a report in The American Journal of Psychiatry about two patients, whose trauma symptoms improved after anesthetic-induced dreaming during surgery. One was the mother of a child who died by suicide. The other patient was a 72-year-old woman who had lost her son to […]The Scope, Stanford Medicine
- Neuroimaging of posttraumatic stress disorder in adults and youth: progress over the last decade on leading questions April 18, 2024Almost three decades have passed since the first posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) neuroimaging study was published. Since then, the field of clinical neuroscience has made advancements in understanding the neural correlates of PTSD to create more efficacious treatment strategies. While gold-standard psychotherapy options are available, many patients do not respond to them, prematurely drop out, […]Nature
- Between Smell, Memory, and Health April 16, 2024The ability of odors to bring to mind past experiences has intriguing scientific and therapeutic implications.The Magazine of Harvard Medical School
- COVID infections are causing drops in IQ and years of brain aging, studies suggest April 15, 2024When COVID-19 first reared its head back in 2019, it brought with it a slew of strange symptoms beyond just respiratory problems. One of the most puzzling symptoms in those early days was something called "brain fog" — cognitive issues like confusion, forgetfulness, and trouble focusing.CBC
- Mass General study identifies an AI model that can accurately assess PTSD in postpartum women April 12, 2024A generative artificial intelligence (AI) model that can analyze the narrative accounts of women who have undergone recent childbirth has shown the ability to accurately screen for post-traumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD), a study by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system has found. By exploring the capabilities and […]EurekAlert!