NutritionJune Is Brain Injury Awareness Month In Canada
Brain injuries are the number one killer and disabler of people under the age of 45 in Canada. These injuries are
a common occurrence, with more than 50,000 Canadians a year sustaining a brain injury, according to the Brain
Injury Association of Canada (BIAC).
Speech-language pathologists (S-LPs), audiologists and supportive personnel, who are represented by the
national professional association the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
(CASLPA), have an important role to play in this area. Research indicates that 80 to 100 percent of individuals
with a brain injury will have some form of communication disorder. Treatment by these professionals is
therefore essential, as they "work to maximize communication and, in turn, participation in daily life and
activities," says Sharon Fotheringham, Director of Speech-Language Pathology and Standards for CASLPA.
"Brain injury has far reaching effects on most daily communication activities," says Ontario speech-language
pathologist Justine Hamilton. "If you struggled to read, write, express yourself clearly or remember information,
you can imagine the devastating impact this would have on helping your children with their homework,
discussing finances with your spouse, taking a college course, sending emails, or simply discussing current
events with a friend."
CASLPA represents the professional needs of more than 5,400 speech-language pathologists, audiologists and
supportive personnel. CASLPA has provided leadership in developing recommended wait times for various
diagnostic areas through the Pan-Canadian Alliance Wait Times Project. The group recommends that after
receiving a S-LP referral due to a traumatic brain injury, the patient should have their first appointment within
24-72 hours if in an acute care facility, 48-72 hours if in an inpatient rehabilitation facility and less than 1 month
if an outpatient in the community.
Approaches to treatment and rehabilitation of brain injuries are diverse, as each individual with a brain injury
will experience different challenges in speaking, swallowing, reading, listening or hearing. "Considerations
include the severity and type of brain injury, time since injury, areas impacted by the injury, supports available to
the family, and the environments the client will be in," says Leslie Hanika Catto, a British Columbia speechlanguage
pathologist. "Approaches are varied, but tend to focus on re-training those skills which have been
impaired or reducing the functional disability through accommodations."
Some simple recommendations to prevent brain injuries include; wearing a helmet during sporting activities,
preventing falls, avoiding alcohol and substance abuse, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and wearing your seatbelt.
For more information about the role speech-language pathologists, audiologists and supportive personnel play
in the treatment of communication disorders or to find a speech-language pathologist or audiologist in your
area, visit CASLPA"s website at www.speechandhearing.ca. Additional information about Brain Injury
Awareness Month, the Brain Injury Association of Canada and a listing of related events can be found on the
BIAC website at http://www.biac-aclc.ca.
Brain Injury Association of Canada