Creating Roadmaps for Brain Injury Rehabilitation: The Journey from Initial Treatment to Community Inclusion
JUNE 24-25, 2024 Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square - Lancaster, PA RegisterHERE
Conference Updates
Keynote Address “Don’t You Remember? A Survivor, Caregiver and Professional’s Blueprint for Life After Brain Injury”
Join speakers Dr. Jenna Jebitsch and Brian Yount for this powerful opening Keynote presentation at BIAPA's Annual Conference!
Plenary Speakers
“Managing Complicated Behaviors in Long-Term Brain Injury Care: Promoting and Maintaining Safety and Stability” Speaker: Christopher Schaub, MSEd, BCBA
“Minds Matter: Seeing Concussion Through New Eyes” Speaker: Christina L. Master, MD
Conference Sessions
In addition to the noteworthy keynote and plenary speakers, BIAPA is excited to present a diverse array of captivating sessions, including presentations on:
Depression and suicidality after brain injury
Vision and vestibular rehabilitation to address, dizziness and vision symptoms
Strategies for working with individuals with coexisting brain injury and substance misuse
Art therapy and brain injury
Pathways to community engagement, employment and volunteering after brain injury
BIAPA adds pediatric content to our conference this year!
Pediatric offerings include: evaluation and treatment of cognitive and psychosocial difficulties in youth with brain injuries, supporting youth with brain injuries during the transition from high school to adult living, rehabilitation benefits of music therapy, the development of an interdisciplinary approach to inpatient pediatric cognitive rehabilitation and music therapy during pediatric neurocritical illness
A full list of pediatric offerings can be found here.
Other unique conference offerings include:
Yoga • Tai Chi • Survivor Lead Sessions • Caregiver Support Group
BIAPA Welcomes University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) As a Brain Injury Ambassador Outreach Partner!
BIAPA is pleased to welcome UPMC as an Ambassador Outreach partner! Our partnership is off to a fantastic start, as our UPMC liaison has already made 13 referrals!
We are so pleased to be able to offer the services of our trained volunteer ambassadors to persons with brain injury and their families in this facility. Our Ambassador volunteers, who all have lived experience with brain injury, offer an important personalized connection for families who have loved ones receiving inpatient brain injury rehabilitation. Ambassadors make this connection through a one-time phone conversation during which they deliver the message of hope and help, and provide an overview of some resources that might be useful in the future. A packet of educational information and resource materials are sent to the families after the call. We are hoping to work with all inpatient rehabilitation facilities across the Commonwealth and welcome inquiries about Brain Injury Ambassador Outreach. For more information, contact BIAPA Programs Coordinator Meghan Walsh-Farrell at walsh-farrell@biapa.org
Brain Safety Fair
The Brain Safety Fairs return!
Thank you to all who participated in BIAPA’s Brain Safety Fair on Saturday, March 16th at Westmoreland Mall, in Greensburg, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
With the generous help of our sponsors and exhibitors, we were able to fit and distribute 120 helmets to children and adults. Education happened through fun interactions like the egg drop, showing how the helmet can protect us from injury, as well as through balance challenges, showing how our bodies can be affected from an injury. Families posed for pictures, learned about bicycling safely and enjoyed the day! Check out more of the fun here!
New In-Person Support Group in Mechanicsburg PA!
For more information contactRose Colón at 717-303-9977 or via email atcolonrm@upmc.edu
ReDiscover U
ReDiscover U is offering some great online learning experiences in the upcoming month!
Classes are held on Monday nights at 6 PM ET via Zoom. Use thislink to join any of the classes at 6 PM on Mondays.
For more information about ReDiscover U, CLICK HERE.
Support Group Corner
The BIAPA statewide virtual support group will meet Thursday, May 16 at 5 PM. This tight-knit community consists of survivors, caregivers, family and professionals from across the state of Pennsylvania! Please use thisZoom Link to access the meeting.
Previously the Coping with COVID Support Group, the Health Matters Support Group covers information of concern regarding a variety of health matters that often co-occur with COVID, as well as brain injury. The group meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Zoom Link Here
BIAPA's next Caregiver Support Group will be held on Wednesday May 8 at 6 PM. This monthly, virtual meeting is open to all caregivers. The meetings are an excellent opportunity for caregivers to meet one another, share experiences and discuss topics of unique relevance to their roles. No pre-registration is required! To join this monthly meeting, use this Zoom Link.
To sign up for email alerts for one of the virtual groups listed above, follow this link to complete a brief registration form.
A full list of all of Pennsylvania's Brain Injury Support Groups, along with contact information for each, is on the BIAPA website's Support Group Listing Page. We are currently updating this information, and while we have done so for most groups, there are still some that we're trying to reach. If you're aware of groups that are meeting either virtually or in-person and are not on our listing, or if you have any updated details about a group on the list, please contact Melanie Morrison morrison@biapa.org so that we can let others know about them.
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