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)
• Department Public Health-Bureau of Substance Addiction Services
• Executive Office of Elder Affairs
• Brandeis University- INROADS
• MassHealth
• Massachusetts Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment - Training & Technical Assistance (MA-SBIRT-TTA)

• 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.

Brief Brain Injury Screening Tool

Lifetime History of Traumatic Injury and other Acquired Brain Injuries Screening Tool

HELPS Brain Injury Screening Tool with Instructions

Accommodations and Compensatory Strategies For Cognitive Deficits Resulting from a Brain Injury

Lifetime History of Traumatic Injury and other Acquired Brain Injuries Screening Tool and Instructions

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, more than 73,000 individuals sustain traumatic brain injuries annually. Consistent with national trends, the majority are evaluated and treated at emergency departments. Traumatic Brain Injury survivors are at risk for developing post-injury neuropsychiatric disorders at rates that are higher than the general population, with major depressive disorder being the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder (nearly 50% of individuals with a TBI experience depression within the first year after their injury). Research informs us that 80% of individuals with co-occurring mental illness and SUD screen positive for a brain injury. To learn more about in the intersection of brain injury and behavioral health, check out our screening tools, Accommodations Workbook and linked resources and partners as listed above.

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

For more information and supports for older adults visit
Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA)
www.biama.org/elders

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