Every 21 seconds, someone in America sustains a brain injury, and often times this silent epidemic goes undiagnosed and untreated for years, according to Susan Rueb, president and founder of the Brain Rehabilitation And Injury Network (B.R.A.I.N.) in Cypress. She said there is more brain injuries per year than breast cancer or heart attacks combined and that it can happen to anyone.
Founded in 2008, the nonprofit organization provides low cost services, classes and groups to adult survivors of brain injuries and their caretakers. They host the “Friends of Brain Injury” (F.B.I), a survivor’s and family “communication” group that meet every Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. A weekly support group called “Healing Haven” for emotional support for survivors is every Thursday from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and a caregiver support group called “B.R.A.I.N. Angels,” meets monthly. Additionally, they have a one-to-one friendship mentoring program called “B.R.A.I.N. Cells” and will host the 4th Annual “THINKTANK Brain Symposium” on April 6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Grand in Long Beach.
B.R.A.I.N. also offers post rehabilitation services such as speech language therapy, reading/writing therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, massage therapy, exercise and YOGA therapy, provide counseling and resource referrals. They are currently working on offering cognitive therapy as well.
“We have a place for people to come to keep them from staying at home,” said Rueb. “We are the stop-gap to between the couch and people really getting back into their lives.”
Brain injuries can happen to anyone from birth injuries, strokes, automobile or motorcycle accidents, sports injuries, medication overdoses, injuries sustain in the military and more, according to Rueb. Her own daughter, Kristin, suffered for years with a birth injury that was misdiagnosed as schizophrenia, with Kristen ending up living on the streets and addicted to drugs. She now attends F.B.I ., and looks forward to a day when she can have her own job and apartment on the campus of the future B.R.A.I.N. Center in Southern California.
“Our goal is to eventually build a premier adult community that specializes in offering therapeutic solutions that turn brain-injured people from victims into victorious survivors,” according to their booklet. “We have started B.R.A.I.N. because we believe that adults with brain injury should be given a place where they can thrive, not just survive.” B.R.A.I.N.’s mission statement is “to advance the highest level of research, recovery and residual care for adults who suffer from a brain injury and to provide their families with resources and support.”
B.R.A.I.N. Speech Language Pathologist, Angela Mandas, M.A., CCC., facilitates the F.B.I. “communication” group and specializes in neurological disorders such as Aphasia, Apraxia, Cognitive Dysarthria, Dysphagia and Post Acute Rehabilitation. She teaches at Chapman University in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program and began F.B.I. as the “Young Neuro Group” about 5 years ago. It was started to help young adult survivors of brain injury return to activities of daily living such as hanging out with friends, meeting people and going to Starbucks. From there, Mandas formed F.B.I., which started with 2 survivors and 3 students to now having 80 survivors with approximately 25 volunteers who attend each week.
“At F.B.I. we maximize every person’s potential with or without a brain injury,” she said. “I teach them to feel good about themselves and not to do life alone.” “Each week we have a different theme from music and memories to exercise, creating new neurons.”
“F.B.I. is not a support group but is a social networking meeting to reconnect and exercise communication skills in a safe environment,” said Mandas. “Our volunteers are members of the community as well as college students from Cal State University Long Beach, Biola University, Cal State Fullerton and Chapman University.” “They represent hope and acceptance,”
For more information on B.R.A.l.N. services, classes and groups, please call 714-828-1760 or visit them online at www.thebrainsite.org.