Seminar Sheds Light on Traumatic Brain Injuries

Susan Wallis of VIP Industries, Bonnie Hammock and Emile Floyed of Regency Management, and Diane Bryan of the Association for persons with Intellectual Disabilities recently attended the Building Capacity to Work with Diverse Populations seminar held at the Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau. The seminar was sponsored by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, along with the University of Missouri Kansas City's Institute for Human Development.

Included in the seminar was a look at traumatic brain injuries. It was the intent of the employees to gain a better understanding of some of the consumers they serve through the three companies, which provide services, programming, employment, and housing to developmentally disabled individuals.

A traumatic brain injury is defined as damage to the brain caused by an external force as evidenced by altered consciousness and impairment of brain functioning. Traumatic brain injuries are those that occur after an accident or fall, not after an illness or high fever.

It is estimated that one traumatic brain injury occurs every three minutes. Injuries are caused by a variety of reasons, including falls, firearms, motor vehicle accidents, getting struck by a vehicle, and contact sports.

The group of employees walked away from the seminar with a better understanding of traumatic brain injuries, as well as valuable resources to help guide them in the future.