By Ian Hebeisen Over seven years ago, my mom received a traumatic brain injury from a car accident. As a result, she sustained nerve damage that often leads to painful contortions in her arms and legs. At first, we couldn’t tell what would set off her arm spasms, but as ...
Read moreby James Heuer A traumatic brain injury affects not only the person suffering from it, but their entire family and friends. Typically, a caregiver can be a spouse, child, relative, or close friend. Stressing the importance of seeking support services for the caregiver themselves is vital. Caring for someone with ...
Read moreBy Ian Hebeisen During my junior year of high school, my dad picked me up after I finished play rehearsal. These car rides home became commonplace, except for one day in particular. I hopped into my dad’s van, and he started our usual car-ride conversation with the phrase, “Now, don’t ...
Read moreBy Tyler Bouwens I hadn’t ever conceived being a caregiver would be part of my story until a reckless and likely intoxicated driver hit my wife, Sophia in March of 2015. She spent a month in the hospital recuperating from a diffuse axonal traumatic brain injury, a broken shin bone, ...
Read moreBy Dr. Emily Reilly, DHSC., M.S. OTR/L, Founder/CEO Purposefully Home Family members, primarily spouses, often adjust their roles and routines to take on caregiver responsibilities. The onset and progression of cognitive decline among loved ones brings unexpected dynamics within a relationship to maintain typical patterns. Small modifications may go unnoticed, ...
Read moreBy Ian Hebeisen My mom never considered herself a morning person. I inherited her night-owl nature, and often the two of us will stay awake after everybody else in the house is asleep. She’ll work on a puzzle; I’ll work on a project of my own. My evenings serve as ...
Read moreBy Ellen Fortini Early one morning in November 2010, Aimee Osgood went to get her children up for school when she slipped on her bedroom floor. As she landed, a screw on her bedframe sliced her arm wide open. She had been experiencing imbalance, but it was the severity of ...
Read moreBy Ian Hebeisen When discussing changes in her life after receiving her traumatic brain injury, my mom mentions all sorts of physical symptoms: vision problems, nerve spasms, the whole nine yards. One of the most dramatic changes she describes is her lack of emotions. My girlfriend and I recently adopted ...
Read moreby Ian Hebeisen In September 2012, celebrity nutrition and fitness expert JJ Virgin answered a phone call that no parent should ever receive. Her 16-year-old son, Grant, had been the victim of a hit and run car accident that left him with incredibly severe injuries. At the hospital, JJ found ...
Read moreby Ian Hebeisen My mom’s TBI started the way most do: unnoticed. Six-and-a-half years ago, she stopped at a red light only to realize the car behind her wasn’t slowing down. On instinct, she braced for impact, causing severe whiplash, which ended up doing more damage than if she had ...
Read moreBy Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS We often think of meditation as a metaphysical or religious practice. Many use activities such as mindfulness, deep breathing, and meditation to calm down the sympathetic system (fight or flight) to help us get through the day. But what if we thought of it from a neurological […]
By Kristen Brown Creating a calm and focused mind can be tricky in today’s world, but when you tap into the power of turquoise you can bring back the mindfulness you seek. Whether you use it as a tool during meditation or yoga, wear it as jewelry, or simply keep loose stones around your house […]
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Setbacks. They’re a fact of life, right? After a brain injury, setbacks can be devastating. They can feel like the end of the world, wrapping you in a feeling of isolation and despair. Throughout the course of my recovery, it was only natural that I would encounter setbacks. Most of these […]
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 ¼ cup (280g) tuna in olive oil, drained 1 tbsp. tomato puree 1 small red onion, finely chopped ½ Granny Smith apple 8 lettuce leaves Put the tuna and half of the oil from the can in a bowl and mix with the tomato puree. Chop the […]
By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. “For many brain injury survivors, mindfulness is an essential practice that helps regulate their mental health, mood changes, and memory.” That comment – from the Headway Company, which works with affordable mental health services – suggests why mindfulness meditation has undergone scientific scrutiny as a technique to bring relief to patients […]
By Amy Zellmer A workout for the sole purpose of physical exercise can only provide limited health benefits. It can help you stay fit to some level and boost your serotonin levels to some points. But, when you add mindfulness into your workout, it becomes the secret ingredient to overall well-being, including physical and mental […]
By James A. Heuer, PA In recent studies, mindfulness proved to help improve the cognitive state of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients. It is said that mindfulness assists TBI patients with keeping their focus on the present moment. In short, mindfulness is the state of awareness resulting from consciously paying attention. Since healing from a […]
By Amy Zellmer “Mindfulness clears the windshield of the mind so that we can see things as they really are.” Travis Eliot What is Mindfulness? A state of nonjudgmental awareness of what’s happening in the present moment, including the awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, and senses. You act mindfully when you listen to a […]
By Ian Hebeisen Mindfulness comes in many shapes and forms. It doesn’t have to be hardcore meditation for a solid hour once a day – that’s simply not realistic for everybody. For some people it might be a simple prayer and reflection at the end of the day, for others it might be doodling in […]
