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The 3 B's - Bike Accident, Brain Injury and Beyond.....What happens days, months, years after a Traumatic Brain Injury? Looking in from the life of a spousal caregiver
Mrs. Rosalyn Fast1
1Rosalyn Fast B.Ed. Caregiver Consultant, London, Canada
Caregivers of people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are vital ‘secret agents’ in helping to develop person-centred therapeutic goals. Family caregivers are the ‘invisible’ link in interdisciplinary collaboration: The role of a spousal caregiver is not usually one expects or trains for, but rather a role that one unwittingly steps into right after an accident happens – a journey with an open-ended ticket to an undetermined destination. The outcome becomes more positive thus creating a successful continuum of care for clients living with TBI and their families. The presenter will share her unique perspective as a recreation professional coupled with her lived experience as a caregiver and apply it to practice. The front-line, caregiving spouse is an integral resource for assisting with a self-management program for one’s spouse, helping to create a safe and secure environment for continued improvement, keeping the home running on all cylinders and keeping the legal team (where involved) abreast of the home situation.

Creating this presentation is two-fold, 

1)	Encouraging the professional, either in the health care or legal field, to become more passionate in one’s work to make a difference: active listening, creating an atmosphere of connecting and sincerely caring and helping. Ultimately being responsive to your client’s needs and those of their family - giving necessary attention to your client to be clearly understood and to ignite positive responses for the benefit of your client. 

2)	Giving other caregivers hope, resources and help to empower them to hold their heads high and get involved in their family member’s recovery. They are a pivotal part of the whole recovery process and the glue that holds everything together 

According to “Word IQ”, knowledge is the awareness and understanding of facts, truths or information gained in the form of experience or learning. Knowledge is an appreciation of the possession of interconnected details, which in isolation, are of lesser value. 

When the caregiver and professionals come together “on the ledge” intending to check and share with each other the “interconnected” details, this serves to add to a greater sense of acceptance for the injured person and his/her family. Creating and brainstorming more solutions and resources is ultimately a way to strengthen the family unit during this time of uncertainty.

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

1.	Define two symptoms that affect the traumatic brain injury client’s well-being and overall family dynamics.

2.	Develop client-centred goals based on a family member viewpoints for participation in community leisure activities

3.	Identify tools to use when working with family members to enhance working with their clients and as part of an interdisciplinary team.

The 3 B's - Bike Accident, Brain Injury and Beyond.....What happens days, months, years after a Traumatic Brain Injury? Looking in from the life of a spousal caregiver