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from the issue of June 14, 2007
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'Bright Idea' grows into brain injury support group
BY SARA PIPHER, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
In 1995, Karen Hux, associate professor of special education at UNL, had a bright idea.
She knew of a couple of high school boys who had incurred traumatic brain injuries and were in search of a support group. At the time, the only TBI support system in Lincoln was composed predominantly of adult survivors and their elderly parents. Hux recognized a void and formed the Bright Ideas Support Group for teenagers and young adults. Twelve years later, the group is expanding its age range to welcome members of all ages.
"I began co-facilitating the group after I received my master's degree in clinical psychology in 1999, and Dr. Hux asked me to be her partner," said Gina Simanek, a mental health counselor and co-coordinator of the group. "I snatched this opportunity up fast! Our members are filled with much courage, fortitude, and wisdom, even though they are so young. However, with a serious medical condition that affects most every aspect of their lives, they also become set apart from their peers as being very wise to life's nuances."
Traumatic brain injury is defined as any insult to the brain that makes it shake and shift inside the skull, resulting in impact. TBIs are commonly the results of falls, motor vehicle accidents, and sports injuries.
According to one recent study, there are 295,850 people in Nebraska with TBI. Experts estimate that by 2010, that number will climb to 307,000. Because of its symptoms - lack of attention and alertness, difficulty focusing - is it often misdiagnosed in young people.
A common problem, Simanek noted, is that it's incredibly costly and difficult to diagnose TBI. The process requires specialists and extensive neuropsychological testing. Most parents and health care providers are unfamiliar with TBI and even those who seek further tests are often unable to afford them. Unfortunately, lack of proper diagnoses keeps many individuals with TBI from utilizing medical and psychological interventions that would improve their lives.
"There is a TBI category now within the Nebraska Education system," Simanek said. "But most people assign these kids with learning disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, mental handicaps, or language impairment."
Fortunately for the members of Bright Ideas, TBI is gaining recognition, and services are increasingly available. Every other month, the group gets together to meet and share stories.
"Because of influx of new people, we need to step aside and get to know each other, and talk about how everyone's TBIs occurred," Simanek said. "We talk about what kind of goals they've got. Then, ideally, other group members or Karen and I can help them resolve those obstacles."
Alternate monthly meetings are purely social. One problem that people with TBI have is in their relationships with people, Simanek explained. "Often after their injury, they change as a person. Usually when you have a TBI your friends leave you, and family has a hard time accepting you also." Group members attend Salt Dogs games, picnics, movies and basketball games.
"It's good for them to just get out and see how they interact with society," Simanek said. "I'm not saying these people are unsocial - they're vibrant and wonderful. They're very social and have so many skills, it's just that this is a major life change, and most people in society won't allow them to move on."
To illustrate experiences typical of a TBI patient, Simanek created a hypothetical scenario.
"Say you wake up from a coma or bump on head, and suddenly what used to be really easy is very difficult," she said. "You can't find words, can't think of peoples' names, can't remember how to get dressed or undressed, your orientation is all mixed up. And these are very concrete things, things that should come easily. We haven't even gotten to abstract thought. So this person is frustrated and starts to act out, mostly toward good friends or family because they're closest to them.
"Meantime, amidst this, the family changes, because this experience is a trauma for everyone. That's why we highly encourage family members to come to meetings, as well as friends."
TBI affects not only personal and family relationships; it can also cause employment and educational difficulties for those injured.
"Memory is located all throughout the brain, which is why it is most susceptible to injury," Simanek said. "I am very proud of individuals with TBI who are able to move on with their lives, seeking alternative ways of living and thriving when their dreams of going to school, working at a particular job, or being able to perform a particular skill (e.g. sports, art, writing, music, driving) are shattered."
She added, "That's where the strength of our members is wonderful and amazing to me. They are so strong and so positive, and they have overcome so many obstacles."
For more information on the Bright Ideas Support Group, contact Gina Simanek at 472-5462 or Karen Hux at 472-8249.
GO TO: ISSUE OF JUNE 14
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Thermostats, cooling systems adjusted to curtail energy costs
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