Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

While most people who suffer a concussion can expect to recover with a few days rest, as much as 15% will suffer debilitating symptoms of their brain injury for months, even years, after the incident occurred. Theres a lot of stuff we dont know about concussions, but one thing that we know from our work is that there is a small group of people whose lives have completely changed through concussion, said Garnet Cummings, executive director of the Brain Care Centre. In recognition of Brain Injury Awareness Month, running throughout June, the Brain Care Centre which offers no-cost services to aid those living with brain injuries is warning the public about growing evidence that reveals the damaging effects of concussions, and the worst affected may not be who you would expect. This is not a disease of athletes, which I think is a stereotype thats out there, said Cummings. You can get this from just about anything. As a matter of fact, you can get this from a whiplash injury and not even hit your head. The Brain Care Centre has started offering the Concussion Management Program. the program helps those still struggling with the effects of their concussion long … Continue reading →

Ada When William Duncans youngest son suffered a brain injury in a 1998 training accident, he retreated to his bedroom and lived in the dark for the next two years. Duncan said he walked by his sons room one night, and his son asked to talk to him for a minute. Duncans son said that he couldnt hold down a job, which meant he couldnt find a girlfriend, get married or have children. Duncan said his son had decided to kill himself, but he didnt want his mother to find him. So Duncans son asked his father to take care of him. The sons cry for help prompted Duncan to seek a way to treat the injury, which led him to a doctor who had successfully used hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat people who had suffered strokes or traumatic brain injuries. Based on the doctors track record, Duncan decided that the therapy might help his son. Duncan said he sent his son to a New Orleans hospital for treatment, which lasted for a month. His son received 40 hyperbaric oxygen sessions, half of todays standard treatment. Duncan said the therapy turned his sons life around. To my surprise, two months … Continue reading →

Caren Paterson collapsed in her flat in Islington in October 2007 Her boyfriend called 999 reporting that she was unconscious But the ambulance crew 'was told to wait for a police escort' Ms Paterson, now 36, eventually suffered a cardiac arrest during delay London Ambulance Service has expressed its 'sincere apologies' By Leon Watson Published: 12:08 EST, 17 June 2014 | Updated: 03:10 EST, 18 June 2014 30 shares 504 View comments Needs round-the-clock care: Caren Paterson, 36, collapsed at home and had to wait 100 minutes for an ambulance A scientist who was left brain damaged after waiting nearly two hours for an ambulance that was parked just 100 yards away has won 5 million compensation. Caren Paterson, 36, had collapsed in the bedroom of her flat in Islington, north London, in October 2007 and was beginning to breathe abnormally when her boyfriend dialled 999. He told the emergency operator that his girlfriend had fallen unconscious, that her lips had turned blue and that she was in need of urgent medical help to save her life. View original post here: Caren Paterson left brain damaged after waiting for ambulance wins 5m … Continue reading →

RENO, NV - The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released an audit of the Reno Veterans Affairs Regional Office (VARO). The OIG team focused on disability evaluations and claims, traumatic brain injury claims, and special monthly benefits among other components. Throughout the inspection, reports were inaccurate, insufficient, incomplete and untimely according to the OIG. The report states VARO did not process 51 percent of disability claims reviewed. Compliance was not met in some instances and because of that the Veterans Business Administration (VBA) may have paid inaccurate financial benefits. VARO staff delayed completion of 50 percent of benefit reduction cases due to management not prioritizing the cases. 22 of 29 temporary 100 percent disability evaluations were inaccurate and VARO staff incorrectly processed a number of traumatic brain injury claims by using insufficient medical reports. VARO management and staff were to blame according to IOG. The VBA policy requires a temporary 100 percent disability following surgery or when treatment is needed. After treatment, VARO staff must request a follow-up examination to determine if the veteran's treatment will continue. Due to management oversight, the VA overpaid 15 veterans with 76 payments totaling $98,133. The payments occurred between December 2012 to … Continue reading →

Meg Farris / Eyewitness News Email: mfarris@wwltv.com | Twitter: @megfarriswwl NEWORLEANS-- More and more veterans are coming home with brain injuries and PTSD and are searching the Internet for treatment. Many find themselves coming to the New Orleans area because a local doctor is offering their only hope. Now 50 people will get free treatment as part of study funded by Congress. A four-legged Marine received the Purple Heart. 'Shandi' saved lives and limbs finding IED's while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now she is retired, suffering the mental consequences of experiencing war. "You can see her physical reactions to doors slamming and loud noises. It's completely uncontrollable, shaking and anxiety that she gets from it," said her handler Marine Gunnery Sergeant Chuck Rotenberry. He is experiencing the same symptoms. They started when an IED exploded near him. "The first couple of weeks I spent kind of in a fog, and I didn't realize, until I got over the initial stress or the initial symptoms, I realized how bad I felt," he said. Chuck suffered a traumatic brain injury, called a TBI, when his brain was damaged from the inside, crashing into his skull from the force. Read the original … Continue reading →

MONDAY, June 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Brain injuries in U.S. military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have similar outcomes whether the cause was a blast or another trauma, a new study reveals. The researchers also found that nearly 80 percent of all active military personnel who suffered a concussion -- regardless of cause -- developed moderate to severe overall disability within a year after the injury. An estimated 20 percent of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered a head injury, and concussion occurred in about 83 percent of those cases, according to the new research, which was published June 16 in the journal JAMA Neurology. The researchers assessed 178 military personnel six to 12 months after they suffered a concussion while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan: 53 were injured in a blast, and 29 were injured by other causes. The study also included two "control" groups of 27 military personnel who were exposed to blasts but suffered no brain injuries, and 69 who had no blast exposure but required medical treatment for injuries other than brain trauma. Rates of overall disability were nearly the same for patients with both blast- and nonblast-related concussion, 77 percent and 79 … Continue reading →

As Kara Gagnon worked to diagnose vision problems associated with traumatic brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans several years ago, she saw another need. Gagnon, then an optometrist with the Veterans Hospital in West Haven, noticed that some of the patients' caregivers, often young wives, who waited outside of her office "were exhibiting a high level of stress." She realized the caregivers themselves were often shouldering larger responsibilities and challenges as they dealt with the effects of brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder in their loved ones. "Their names and faces are emblazoned in my brain," she said about the families. Gagnon, who grew up in Old Saybrook and now resides in Chester, decided she had to help. She recently founded Peace of Mind Brain Injury Services for BraveMinds, a non-profit organization, to build a community of support. She plans to open a wellness center in Milford later this month to offer mental and physical health services to veterans and their families. Eventually, Gagnon, an associate clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine, aims to open an eye clinic there, too, and wellness centers across the country. Michael Osten of Norwich, a U.S. Army veteran who works full-time … Continue reading →

Published June 09. 2014 4:00AM Updated June 09. 2014 1:21PM As Kara Gagnon worked to diagnose vision problems associated with traumatic brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans several years ago, she saw another need. Gagnon, then a optometrist with the Veterans Hospital in West Haven, noticed that some of the patients' caregivers, often young wives, who waited outside of her office "were exhibiting a high level of stress." She realized the caregivers themselves were often shouldering larger responsibilities and challenges, as they dealt with the effects of brain injuries or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in their loved ones. "Their names and faces are emblazoned in my brain," she said about the families. Gagnon, who grew up in Old Saybrook and now resides in Chester, decided she had to help. She recently founded Peace of Mind Brain Injury Services for BraveMinds, a nonprofit organization, to build a community of support. She plans to open a wellness center in Milford later this month to offer mental and physical health services to veterans and their families. Eventually, Gagnon, an associate clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine, aims to open an eye clinic there too and wellness centers across the country. … Continue reading →

FILE PHOTO U.S. Rep. Pascrell The Centers for Disease Control would begin keeping detailed, uniform data on traumatic brain injuries suffered by athletes, military veterans and others if legislation that Rep. Bill Pascrell unveiled Wednesday becomes law. Pascrell, D-Paterson, has spent more than a decade trying to focus attention on brain injuries, and his efforts included pressuring scholastic and professional sports teams to set policies about athletes returning to the field after concussions. It also included urging the military to do more to treat what Pascrell calls a silent epidemic among veterans whose brain injuries were not diagnosed after armor protected them from suffering more obvious injuries in explosions. It took us five years to convince them they were missing the boat, Pascrell said at a news conference. He noted the first appropriation specifically for veterans brain injuries was not approved until 2007, even though by his estimates 20 percent of fighters serving in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered some level of injury. An Army veteran from New Jersey, John Irwin, shared his story during a panel discussion on Capitol Hill after Pascrells news conference. Irwin, 33, of Toms River, said in an interview he was injured in an explosion in … Continue reading →

MOUNT OLIVE TWP. A Flanders neurologist who once headed the prestigious brain injury rehab department at Welkind Institute for Rehabilitation centers in Chester and West Orange, has lost his license to practice after he admitted to having a sexual relationship with a patient, authorities said. The neurologist, Dr. Jonathan Fellus, admitted to having the the relationship with the patient who he had determined suffered an apparent mild brain injury, while she was under his treatment and was an outpatient in a cognitive rehabilitation program at an unnamed institutional facility in West Orange, according to a statement from the state Division of Consumer Affairs. The state Division of Consumer Affairs announced June 14 that the Board of Medical Examiners has revoked Fellus's license, whose last address was listed as Advanced NeuroCare LLC,227 Route 206, in Flanders. A spokesman with the Welkind Institute said Fellus worked for the hospital from 1997 to January 2011, including a stint in management in the brain injury unit. The facts clearly show that Dr. Fellus engaged in a relationship with this patient, even though he knew or should have known she was suffering a diagnosed cognitive disorder and was physically debilitated by injuries she suffered in … Continue reading →