The Kamloops Brain Injury Association serves individuals with acquired brain injuries, their families, caregivers and associates by offering specialized programs and lifeskills education. When faced with a traumatic brain injury, survivors are usually unable to return to their pre-injury occupation or lifestyle and so they become confused, angry and lonely.

The services offered by KBIA helps brain injured survivors come to terms with their injury and teaches strategies to improve their post injury lifestyle. In addition to all lifeskills services including help with self care, attending appointments, and housing, KIBA also offers additional training in memory aids, emotional management, financial management, substance abuse recovery as well as arts and crafts classes.

Eligibility for service

KBIA will provide services to all individuals who have an acquired brain injury or who are related to and/or care for someone who has an acquired brain injury. An acquired brain injury is one that has occurred after birth and is related to events such as:

• Trauma (falls, motor vehicle crashes)
• Cerebral vascular accidents (stroke, intracranial bleeding)
• Infectious diseases
• Metabolic disorders
• Exposure to or use of toxins (chemicals, drug abuse)

Individuals with conditions that are genetic (e.g. Huntington’s), degenerative (e.g. Multiple Sclerosis), congenital (e.g. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), induced birth trauma (e.g. Cerebral Palsy) do not qualify for services from KBIA. Eligibility for services is subject to a confirmation of brain injury from a physician or other attending medical professional.

Lifeskills

Lifeskills services are provided to the survivors of acquired brain injury whether from traumatic accident, stroke or brain tumour. We also offer support, information, education and hands on help to survivors’ family and caregivers.

• We offer one-to-one support with the activities of daily living such as emotional wellness, communication skills, and self-care. Three full-time lifeskills staff work with individuals on a needs basis to help survivors reach their full potential and increase their independence.
• Memory aids: lifeskills workers can help survivors develop different strategies to improve their memory; things as simple as post-it notes on a mirror to the much more complex programming of an electrical personal data assistant.
• Transportation: sometimes survivors need help getting a bus pass or taxi saver; but sometimes they need to practice riding a bus and learning where they need to get off—to recognise landmarks before their stop so they don’t end up having to walk for miles because they got off at the incorrect stop.
• Diet and nutrition: Many survivors need help planning meals. Most have to relearn how to shop well so they get the most nutrition for their money. Learning to plan meals on a meagre income is not easy and without support many survivors end up eating very cheap by nutritionally empty calories. In addition, survivors sometimes need help relearning or even learning for the first time how to prepare meals. Not only good for a preparing a healthy meal, cooking can open a new interest and even raise self esteem.
• Almost everything! Lifeskills workers will work with survivors in almost every aspect of their lives, from assisting with finding housing to accompanying someone to a doctor’s appointment. Most important though is the work lifeskills workers to act as advocates for survivors.

For more information on the lifeskills services KBIA provides, contact us.

Questions?

If you have any questions about who we are and what we do please contact us at 250-372-1799.