–? COVID19 Impact Update –
During these trying and unprecedented times, the BCBIA will attempt, as best as possible, to maintain its strong presence and voice for the brain injury community in BC. With the ability to use as our platform we are able to communicate relevant and up to date issues in regard to brain injury. We will attempt to respond in a timely manner to all questions and enquiries made to .
For information in regards to COVID19 please contact:
Public Health Agency of Canada: 1-833-784-4397
HealthLinkBC (8-1-1) at any time or speak with your BC health care provider.
BCCDC’s website: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19
Actor Bruce Willis Diagnosed with Aphasia
In March 2022, Bruce Willis’ family announced on social media that he is stepping away from a long career as an actor following a diagnosis of aphasia. Willis’ family, in the past, had made comments on the actor’s memory challenges. The Los Angeles Times reported that in recent years, accommodations were made on film sets because of these struggles.
Willis began his career in theatre and then became known on television in the hilarious series Moonlighting, with Cybil Shepherd. He advanced his acting career from television to the big screen and appeared in approximately 150 movies, including Die Hard and Pulp Fiction.
Aphasia impacts a person’s ability to understand language. The individual could have trouble reading, writing, speaking, and understanding what others are saying to them.
Aphasia is most associated with strokes and head injuries, but it can also be caused from a slow-growing brain tumour or progressive disease. Willis’ family has not released the cause of the actor’s aphasia.
For more information on aphasia, educational videos, and available supports, click on the links below:
Surrey Aphasia Group: http://uqa.m3160m.icu/videos/video-type/suddenly-speechless-surrey-aphasia-group/
Part of the Brain Educational Videos: http://uqa.m3160m.icu/videos/video-type/parts-of-the-brain/
Aphasia Institute: https://www.aphasia.ca/
March of Dimes Aphasia Fact Sheet: https://www.marchofdimes.ca/en-ca/programs/acs/aphasiainfo
The BC Brain Injury Association (BCBIA) Celebrates 40 Years of Service & Forms a Strategic Alliance with the CGB Centre for Traumatic Life Losses
?is the official website of the?BC Brain Injury Association (BCBIA). We are excited to announce fourty years of service in British Columbia. BCBIA was founded in 1982 and incorporated in 1983.
Throughout the years, BCBIA has been the voice of the brain injury community, evolving from providing direct services to joining forces with the Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference Society (PCBICS) in 2012, to becoming the provincial resource for online education and networking through .
BCBIA is evolving again. We have formalized a Strategic Alliance with the Constable Gerald Breese Centre for Traumatic Life Losses (CGB) under the leadership of Janelle Breese Biagioni.
For more information on our milestone and the newly formed alliance, check out our blog.
The Journey Ahead
We are pleased to announce a new section of lled The Journey Ahead. This project was generously funded by ICBC.
This section is for survivors, family members, friends, and caregivers to learn about brain injury, what it entails, to find suitable and appropriate supports, and to provide information about additional services, funding sources, and other community resources.
Please check out The Journey Ahead and let us know what you think.
Featured Resources and Learning
ICBC Coverage Concerns Regarding The Enhanced Care Model
The Cridge Centre for the Family Brain Injury Program and the BC Brain Injury Association is most concerned in regard to the issues raised in this article.? Innocent crash victims must be fully protected and compensated by ICBC and its Enhanced Care Model.? The BCBIA will be bringing this story forward to appropriate authorities at ICBC and those others concerned about the Enhanced Care Model.
Should you or those within your network experience similar, perceived unfair treatment or support from the ICBC Enhanced Care Model, please let us know.? Send concerns or issues to: Geoff Sing care of -?info@nullbrainstreams.ca.
Click here to read the full article on Jess Holland-Roy's crash and the challenges he is experiencing with ICBC.
ICBC Video Series
To read our blog post and to view the four-part video series funded by ICBC on the Enhanced Care Model, click here.
Cultivating Community is Cultivating Kindness
BCBIA was pleased to release a new video on an amazing garden project in Langley at it's AGM on September 15th. The video features the Kreiter family and demonstrates the amazing benefits of creating community.
Cultivating Kindness is the story behind Opportunity Landing, a non-profit society dedicated to developing and maintaining a space for inclusive, accessible community gardens in Langley BC.
To read the full blog post and to watch this beautiful video, click here.
The Faces of Brain Injury
Behind every brain injury diagnosis is a real person. We are pleased to share The Faces of Brain Injury, a series of digital posters sharing a brief snapshot into the lives of brain injury survivors.
To learn more about this project, click here.