June serves as an important month in the recognition of brain injuries, as it is deemed Brain Injury Awareness Month.
Across Canada, associations run campaigns to help increase awareness regarding the prevalence of brain injuries.
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“June is a very important month for us in brain injury, awareness and prevention,” said Kelly Mason, Lloydminster and Area Brain Injury Society (LABIS) communication and events coordinator.
He explained brain injuries can be almost invisible.
“Brain injuries are almost invisible to the general public unless you’re in a wheelchair or set up on a bed,” he said. “It can affect your mood, it can affect how you talk, so many different small factors that don’t show on the outside.”
The month serves as a reminder of the risk of brain injuries.
“Everything from helmets to drinking and driving, anything that can lead to accidents affecting the brain,” said Mason. “It’s important for us to bring that to the forefront and let the public know (about) brain injuries, how they happen and how to prevent them.”
LABIS works with individuals who have an acquired brain injury.
“The majority of our clientele is acquired brain injuries from accidents like automobile accidents, to strokes, surgery where the brain is affected after that,” he said. “We have clientele coming in here that you wouldn’t tell walking down the street they had a brain injury.
“People don’t understand the support that is needed for those individuals.”
The work LABIS does covers multiple facets of life for those with an acquired brain injury.
“We provide them with a social outlet and a place where they can be comfortable with other individuals who have similar types of injuries and workers who are fully vetted with the injuries and how to support them best,” he said. “They can come here, they get a social aspect of talking with other individuals, we do a lot of hand movement articulation with crafts and games and cards. We have all the resource material for their caregivers as well. We provide a bit of respite for those care workers and also can help them out in dealing with that individual.”
An open house and barbecue is coming up for LABIS.
“It’s our open house (and) sponsor recognition barbecue,” said Mason. “Not a lot of people have been to this facility even though we’ve been here for a couple of years.
“Thursday (June 18) we’re going to have a tent and barbecue set up, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., we’re doing burgers, hot dogs and pop and have the doors open, people can come in and check things out.”
The organization will also be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year after being incorporated in 1986
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