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Acquired brain injury day services pilot arrives at KSM by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff 7 | Friday, August 12, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Nearly half a million Ontarians live with a brain injury, with 18,000 new cases added annually, says the Ontario Brain Injury Association. Acquired brain injury (ABI) is 15 times more common than spinal cord injury, 30 times more common than breast cancer and 400 times more common than HIV/AIDS, it states. And yet, ABI is still "largely invisible," said Al McMullan, executive director of Peel Halton Dufferin Acquired Brain Injury Services (PHD ABIS). "It's the least recognized mental health condition out there." ABI refers to damage to the brain that occurs after birth. It can be caused by a motor vehicle collision, a fall, an assault or a sports-related injury, such as a concussion. ABI can also result from medical problems or diseases, which cause damage to the brain, such as stroke, aneurysm, infection to the brain or brain tumor and more, according to PHD ABIS. The effects of a brain injury include: · cognitive issues (memory/thinking skills); · emotional changes (behaviour/personality); · language/communication changes; · physical/sensory changes (vision/hearing/ taste/smell/balance/mobility); · changes in perceptions. PHD ABIS, a not-for-profit agency, states a brain injury can occur in an instant, however, the Al McMullan effects -- physical, cognitive, and behavioural -- can be devastating in their long-term impact on people, families and their community. That's why it's been working over the last 25 years in Halton and Peel (five in Dufferin), to provide a comprehensive range of supports for individuals (16 years and older) who have either sustained an acquired brain injury or caregivers/family members requiring access to counselling for coping strategies, peer support, and education. On Monday (Aug. 15), PHD ABIS is launching a new pilot program that will bring ABI day services to Halton. The program, which will run out of Oakville's Kerr Street Mission (KSM), 485 Kerr St., will operate three half-days a week, providing those with ABI in Oakville and the surrounding area with a place to participate in social recreation, functional rehabilitation, peer supports, and to learn psychosocial adjustment skills. The ribbon-cutting and opening ceremony will take place at KSM at 10:30 a.m. McMullan, who has worked in the ABI field for 30 years, and with PHD ABIS for the last 20 years, said PHD ABIS is excited about bringing the day programs it has run in Peel to Oakville and offering Halton residents an additional way to receive support. It already has a specialized ABI residence in Halton for people who are at extreme risk in the community and to themselves; has case managers working with 30-50 individuals in the community; and serves six to a dozen long-term care clients touched by ABI. However, McMullan said there has been a gap in providing those living with ABI, who often disconnect themselves from family and friends and the outside world after a significant injury, with a place to socialize and grow. "They live in their community, but are isolated as if they lived on the moon," he said. "What the day service program does, even if it's only two to five half days, or a couple of days a week, it gives them a place where they can go, for not only social programming, but also functional programming." McMullan said the partnership with KSM couldn't be more fitting given that it's a community hub for people to access social services, education and even health care. He said he's looking forward to forging community partnerships and helping KSM in the work it does to help individuals with mental health issues or who are homeless. "Clinical studies from Canada, the U.S., Britain and Australia show that up to 60 per cent of people who are homeless are touched by a brain injury at some point," McMullan noted. While the program is only being piloted, McMullan predicts "explosive growth" that will make a case for day services to become a permanent part of the Oakville community. He said the day program will likely serve about 100-200 individuals with ABI, or their families, helping them access rehabilitative strategies. That doesn't include people who will be looking to access PHD ABIS concussion services. McMullan noted the reality is, with the "tsunami of strokes" being experienced in the health-care system, ABI services will be needed more and more. PHD ABIS is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOH&LTC) and Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). For more information, visit www.phdabis.org. New Patients Are ALWAYS Welcome MORTGAGES We have a pool of private money available at great rates. Instant Approval, Fast, Reliable Service by your bank? 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