ACL Grant at MRC

This page can be used as a resource for screening tools, information, training and more as we continue our efforts in the brain injury communities through these grants.

The materials and trainings created from these grants would not be possible without our dedicated partners. Our primary partners have and continue to include

• Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts (BIA-MA)
• BAMSI (Brockton Area Multi-Services, Inc.)
• National Association of State head Injury Administrators (NASHIA)

• Domestic Violence and Brain Injury part one
• Elders Web Course This FREE, six-module, self-paced web course curricula was designed to help Massachusetts build a trained TBI work force statewide. The content is geared for all levels of community--based providers.

• Link to CDC Fall Prevention (Elders)
• Link to CDC Elder Abuse Page
• Link CDC Facts about Concussions and Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injury symptoms in elders can often be confused with other disorders such as dementia. Family members and others may believe that changes in a survivor are the natural result of the aging process instead of the traumatic brain injury. Dementia is also a risk factor for sustaining a traumatic brain injury. Individuals with dementia, depression, and Parkinson’s disease are at a greater risk of fall-related traumatic brain injuries.
Elders are more likely to have a chronic illness which can affect recovery from a traumatic brain injury. Because elders are at a higher risk of falls, it is especially important to take falls-prevention measures to avoid additional traumatic brain injuries.

Older adults are at a higher risk for sustaining a concussion from a fall due to medication interactions and side effects, balance issues, vision problems, and home tripping hazards. They are more likely to have lasting symptoms and may be slower to recover than younger people.
-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

You May Have a Traumatic Brain Injury - Are you 60+ and had a 
•Fall 
•Injury to the head
•Motor vehicle accident

Do you have problems with 
•Reasoning
•Problem Solving
•Concentration
•Headaches
•Memory
•Word Finding
•Decision Making
•Personality Changes
•Controlling Emotions
•Vision Changes

Read the entire brochure below or call to Learn More! Traumatic Brain Injury Information & Resource Line for Elders
844-839-7154 | www.biama.org/elders

Recuperating from and living with the effects of a traumatic brain injury can be tremendously challenging. A traumatic brain injury can change a person’s life forever. People with traumatic brain injury often suffer from depression or struggle with substance abuse, either of which may have been a problem prior to the brain injury.

Depression is a common, often debilitating, and sometimes fatal condition. For people with traumatic brain injury, depression is even more common than it is in the general population. Research shows that a brain injury greatly increases the chance that a person will develop depression. For those who have sustained a traumatic brain injury, life’s usual challenges are compounded by depression.

Signs & Symptoms
Different people experience depression in different ways. Some feel overwhelmingly tired or lose their appetite, while others become angry. Depression can also worsen cognitive symptom presentation. Symptoms of depression include:
•Changes in sleep patterns
•Changes in appetite
•Fatigue
•Extreme sadness
•Feelings of helplessness
•Irritability
•Inability to enjoy pleasurable activities
•Withdrawal from others
•Poor self-care or attention to appearance

Substance abuse has a major impact on an individual’s life. Research shows that when a traumatic brain injury and substance abuse are combined, they have a greater negative effect on the brain than either one has alone.
Based on information about how alcohol and traumatic brain injury combine to affect the brain, the Brain Injury Association of America has concluded that there is no safe amount for a person with brain injury to drink.
Aside from legal considerations, drugs and alcohol may interact with prescribed medications and cause additional problems. Taking prescription drugs in greater quantities than prescribed is another form of drug abuse and is not advisable. Read the entire brochure below.