 - “Where Injury Meets Support”
- Build Brain Injury Awareness Through Knowledge, Friendship & Partnership
CFBISG
PO Box 140792
Orlando, FL 32814-0792
(407)228-2818
www.brainsupportgroup.org
This is the national suicide hotline number.
1-800-SUICIDE 1-800-784-2433.
We are a support group and not set up to handle emotional crises.
Journey Alone Together Brain Injury Group on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/459941764072350/?bookmark_t=group
CFBISG Newsletter
http://www.brainsupportgroup.org/colm-roe-neuro-restorative-topic-fatigue-brain-injury-april-2013/
My name is Marie-Terese Henderson I have been the Chairperson of the Central Florida Brain Injury Support Group, Inc formally the Orlando Brain Injury Support Group established in 1986 since 2007. Plus I am a person living with the long term disabilities secondary to the traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained 20 years ago in an automobile accident.
Our logo represents brain injury awareness and who we are by Two Faces Facing the World. The brain injured working alongside the uninjured toward a common goal. These faces are encircled with people of every color holding hands because every 23 seconds someone sustains’ a brain injury. Our mission is to help meet the needs of the Brain Injury Survivors. We are Where Injury Meets Support and we are Building Brain Injury Awareness through Knowledge, Friendship & Partnership. We are Brain Injury Survivors driven and self supported through our own contributions and individual donations.
We are traumatic brain injury support group that meet twice a month for socialization, educational speakers and to share community resources. Brain Injury Survivors have the opportunity to support one another in a safe environment of comradeship and understanding, where hardship and sentiments can be discussed openly with respect for each individual opinion and new friendship can be established. We discuss individual needs and compensation strategies that have been successful, because it is from others who face similar frustrations that the best solutions to problems can be found. We encourage brain injury survivors to become proactive in their recovery. We provide monthly resources that offer us hope of a successful, productive, and positive result for our community which reflect the benefits we, as brain injury survivors, offer through friendship and caring about one another. We concentrate on what we “can do”, because together we can build a strong link in the chain of brain injury recovery through friendship and support.
Please watch Brain Injury Awareness Month 2013 by Sean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssRg-LoUYtk&feature=youtu.be
Brain Injury Association of Florida Perspectives on Brain Injury for
Caregivers by James A. Mikula, Ph.D
http://www.byyourside.org/educate/family-and-caregivers/416.html
Please post to our Arsenal of Strategies on Living in the World of Brain Injury.
http://www.brainsupportgroup.org/category/our-arsenal-of-strategies/
Are You IN?
 Spring 2008
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255, press 1 if Veteran or calling about Veteran. It will go on resource and home page quite nicely.
Did You Know? The brain is the portion of the central nervous system that is contained within the skull. It is the control center for movement, sleep, hunger, thirst, and virtually every other vital activity necessary to survival. All human emotions – including love, hate, fear, anger, elation, and sadness are controlled by the brain. It also receives and interprets the countless signals that are sent to it from other parts of the body and from the external environment.
The Brain makes us conscious, emotional, and intelligent.
Forgive as soon as possible. Love without boundaries… Laugh without control
and never stop smiling. A smile is contagious and you never know someone may fall in love with it… submitted by Pete
Brain Puzzle http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm
2011 Brain Injury Awareness Month (BIAM)
2nd Annual Brain Injury Awareness Month (BIAM) 2012
3rd Annual Brain Injury Awareness Month (BIAM) 2013
http://www.brainsupportgroup.org/march-2013-national-brain-injury-awareness-month-biam-cfbisg-3rd-annual-picnic/
We are one of many Brain Support Groups in Florida
Central Florida Brain Injury Support Group
“Where Injury Meets Suppor”
by Carina Viegas
Experiencing a brain injury can be a very traumatic experience. Learning everyday activities, reintroducing oneself back into society and being an independent individual are some of the challenges that traumatic brain injury survivors face. One organization in Central Florida identifies these difficulties and provides unconditional support to such survivors. The Central Florida Brain Injury Support Group (CFBISG) has been serving the Orlando brain injured community for over 20 years.
CFBISG formally known as the Orlando Brain Injury Group is a support group that recently became a non-profit organization in 2009. The Orlando Brain Injury Support Group (OBISG) was founded in 1981 by the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center located at the Orlando Regional Medical Center. In 1986, The Mayor William Beardall Senior Center located in downtown Orlando officially adopted the support program, providing a place for the support group to meet.
The CFBISG’s mission to build brain injury awareness through knowledge, friendship and partnership reflects in all their activities. CFBISG holds support group meetings every third Wednesday of the month. At their February 2011 meeting, a guest speaker from Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology, Inc (FAAST), helped members learn about the latest technologies that could help members with their organization and other coping skills. Community guest speakers from various brain related professions and organizations are invited to share their knowledge with the support group members. Some of the topics covered are providing affordable and convenient means of transportation for the injured, helping them with their daily routines, understanding and coping with their frustrations and using new technologies to improve the efficiency and quality of their lives.
It’s not just the informative part that keeps the members coming back to the group. Sometimes survivors just need to relax and socialize with others that are facing the same problems. “The feeling that you are not alone makes me keep coming back to the support group.” said Terry, a member of the support group. The meetings are a platform for brain injury survivors to share their experiences, frustrations, and exchange techniques of dealing with their problems with fellow survivors.
“I feel comfortable spending time with other members with common afflictions .We learn from each other’s creative compensation techniques. It just feels relaxing because in a way we enjoy each other’s problems.” smiled Mike, a member.
John has been a member for 17 years. He said, “The support group helps me understand the available resources for brain injured people. I also like the camaraderie. ”
Whether you would like to learn more about your injury or just talk with someone, the support group meetings are a good way for brain injury survivors to come together and work toward achieving common recovery goals. Keewan, one of the youngest members said he would recommend the support group to others “for the knowledge, support and information that is useful in the recovery process.”
The Central Florida Brain Injury Support Group’s activities are not restricted just to the monthly meetings. Marie Terese, the chairperson of CFBISG and all the other members work together to partner with the Orange County Disability Advisory Board, the Brain Injury Association of Florida, FAAST (Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology, Inc), Brain and Spinal Cord Injury program and other community organizations in order to ensure smooth functioning of the group. Representatives of the group also attend the Orange County Adhoc Legislation meetings once a month to represent the brain injured community.
CFBISG also helps the community by working with Orange County’s Exceptional Student Education (ESE) and Transitional Services with Greater Orlando Inter Agency Council to guide brain injured students into achieving a better future. Lately, CFBISG has been trying to partner with University of Central Florida to provide free counseling and other university resources for the members.
Every brain is unique and every injury is different. So are the members at the support group. Brain injury survivors from various professional and family backgrounds of varying degrees of functionality come together at CFBISG to share their problems and suggest ways of dealing with them. Every member has a unique problem and a reason for joining the group. Rob, a declarative paratrooper said “When I talked to Marie (chairperson of CFBISG) over the phone, first time in 30 years I felt that someone understood me. So, I joined the support group.” This is a place where people understand each other’s struggles in surviving a brain injury and help each other get through their lives.
 CFBISG 2nd Annual Brain Injury Awareness Month Picnic
Good Afternoon Honorable Senators and Representatives,
My name is Marie-Terese Henderson and I am here today as a person with a traumatic brain injury or TBI as it is better known and spokesperson for Brain Injury Association of Florida or the BIAF.
My TBI was caused by a motor vehicle accident 21 years ago. Since then, I have learned to live with my permanent challenges of short term memory loose, double vision and constant headaches, and still feel blessed with my recovery. A TBI is when a blow to the head causes an injury to the brain which changes the way you think and live, sometimes for a short period of time, but all too often it changes who you are for a lifetime.
I am a 40 year resident of Orlando, Chairperson of the Central Florida Brain Injury Support Group, member of the Orange County Disability Advisory Board, and Orange County Public School “Kids’ Just Like Us” Committee member.
In my role with the Central Florida Brain Injury Support Group I represent hundreds of people living with a TBI and their families living in your districts.
We believe it is critical that the State maintain funding for Traumatic Brain Injury services through Brain Injury Association Florida. This requires the Department of Health and BIAF to continue their partnership serving brain injury victims and their family who endure the responsibility of their care.
Each year over 100,000 babies and toddlers, soldiers and athletes, teenagers and grandparents are victims of the effects of a traumatic brain injury. Without help they are often lost to the court system, jail, homelessness or the under-funded mental health systems at a great cost to our state and local governments.
Thank you for your time and attention. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Marie-Terese Henderson, Executive Director
Central Florida Brain Injury Support Group, Inc
What is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
- A blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain.
- Annually 1.7 Million American’s sustain a TBI
- 220,430 Military (2000-2011) have sustained –
- The “Signature Wound”
- TBI is The “Invisible Injury” –
- Many go Unreported & are Undiagnosed
What are the leading causes of TBI?
- Falls
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Struck by or against events
- Assaults
Who is most likely affected?
- Children aged 0-4
- Older adolescents aged 15-19
- Adults aged 65 years and older
- Males have a higher rate of TBI
What is the direct and indirect (lost productivity) Medical Costs cost of TBI?
- In 2000 the totaled $60 Billion
How TBI can affects people:
- Cognitively
- Physically
- Socially
How TBI can affect individuals’ in school:
- Memory Impairment
- Slowed processing speed
What are the challenges with TBI:
- Concentrating
- Organizing thoughts
- Learning New Information
- Interpreting Social Skills
- Solving Problems
- Fatigue & Pain
Logo
Two faces facing the world represents a brain injuried working along the non injuried towards a common goal. Faces are encircled with people of every color holding hands. A special thanks to those who brainstormed this great graphical branding.
We have completed all the requirements for becoming a not for profit organization. We are able to provide donors with a tax-deductible receipts for their gifts.
DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY: Neither CFBISG nor any agency thereof, any of their volunteers, nor any of their employees or officers, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.
DISCLAIMER OF ENDORSEMENT: Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring.
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