November 30, 2018 by Angela

Schurig Center Hits the Bay with ETC Trips

Big shout out of gratitude to Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC) for an amazing day on the water!

Thanks to the awesome guides and adaptive equipment provided by ETC, a group of Schurig Center’s clients recently enjoyed a fun day of beautiful scenery, lots of blue sky, and a few sea lion friends while kayaking on Richardson Bay.

Environmental Traveling Companions believes that everyone, regardless of physical or financial limitations, should have the opportunity to experience the challenge and beauty of the wilderness. Through ETC adventures, participants overcome perceived limitations, attain greater personal freedom and confidence, and better understand themselves in relation to others and the environment.

Schurig Center is deeply grateful for this meaningful day of community connection and nature! Thank you friends at ETC!

October 29, 2018 by Angela

Your gift to Schurig Center helps address a “public health crisis”

Every day there seems to be a new feature story about concussion in the media. This is important news because concussions, a type of traumatic brain injury, happen frequently and can have lasting effects. Despite often being associated with professional and youth sports, a concussion can happen to anyone at any age from a blow or jolt to the head. Causes include falls, motor vehicle and recreation accidents, whiplash, and even seemingly minor bumps to the head, like bumping into a cabinet door.

Concussion has become an important area of research to improve understanding of its short and long-term side effects and to establish effective treatment protocols.

In a recent San Francisco Chronicle article, renowned neurosurgeon and UCSF Professor, Dr. Geoffrey Manley, shared his study findings that too many concussion patients do not receive follow-up care even when they experience ongoing post-concussive symptoms.

Many health care professionals believe concussion patients don’t need or cannot benefit from subsequent visits and treatment. Dr. Manley’s study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, found the opposite to be true. “This is a public health crisis that is being overlooked,” Manley said in an interview.

In fact, half of concussion patients are discharged without being warned about possible follow-up symptoms, red flags and dangers. Only 40% of the patients in Manley’s study saw a doctor or other medical provider within three months of being injured.

Dr. Manley drew parallels between traumatic brain injuries and other diseases, noting that it is important to think of a head injury as an ongoing condition rather than an isolated event.

“If you have a heart attack, you get great care,” he said. “A doctor will follow up with you. With traumatic head injuries, we have a whole bunch of people out there that when we looked at those that aren’t being seen, they needed to be seen. We have got to do a better job.”

You help people not only survive, but thrive!

As a Schurig Center supporter, you play a critical role in filling the gaps in follow-up care for people living with the effects of a concussion. You provide therapeutic and support services designed to help people improve their abilities and transition from the hospital to community living.

Your generosity helps hundreds of people each year achieve their best quality of life by providing:

A restorative community
That provides a vitally important bridge between medical intervention and survivor independence.

Customized recovery plans that offer survivors in crisis a ray of hope.
When doctors don’t have time to recommend therapists and insurance won’t pay for transitional services, you give them a place to turn.

Brain injury expertise and education
That is helping to change the future of brain injury recovery.

It’s not enough to save a life.
Everyone deserves to have a life.

Thanks to you, survivors and their families have a place to turn to get the support they need to build meaningful lives after a brain injury, from an accident, concussion or stroke. THANK YOU!

September 26, 2018 by Angela

Strategies for Continued Improvement

Going home after a long stay in the hospital can be exciting. But it is important to note, recovery may not be complete when inpatient rehabilitation concludes.

You will have learned important strategies during inpatient rehabilitation that will help make the transition from institution to the community safe and successful. It is very important that these techniques be used consistently and reinforced regularly.

And although exciting, leaving the hospital can be challenging for a number of reasons. One of the less obvious reasons is the fact that often a survivor of brain injury feels that he will “be fine once I am home and in my own space.” The exact opposite may be the case. In a less familiar, more structured environment (like a hospital), individuals tend to be more attentive and aware of their surroundings. When a therapist or doctor is observing you, you tend to be focused on the approaches and techniques they taught you. The presence of a nurse, physician or therapist provides “cueing” even if nothing is said.

If the situation at home lacks structure and supervision or does not encourage carryover of the strategies taught during inpatient rehabilitation, there may be a slip back in function and possibly even safety issues.

Once an individual gets home after being hospitalized for a long period, the desire to continue therapy may diminish. Encouraging continued rehabilitative efforts may involve some cheerleading, but it is important that the process continue.

Recommended strategies for optimal performance and continued improvement after leaving the hospital:

Staying consistent with compensatory strategies

You or your loved one will have learned a number of compensatory strategies while in rehabilitation that need to be consistently maintained after leaving the hospital. This may include keeping a set schedule from which the survivor does not waiver. He may also need checklists to complete the morning routine or organizers to plan daily activities and schedule appointments. And it’s crucial that he avoids situations (typically identified during rehabilitation) that trigger undesirable reactions or behaviors. These can include places that are noisy, bright, crowded, hot or cold—or avoiding complex, unfamiliar or new tasks at times when the brain injured person is tired, hungry, hot or cold.

Rest

Regular rest breaks or naps should be a scheduled part of her day. She won’t need excessive sleep, but it’s important to make sure she has scheduled downtime every day. Inadequate sleep or rest can lead to undesirable behavior and/or decreased cognitive function.

Nutrition

Eating a healthy, balanced diet, with adequate fluid intake, is crucial to helping the brain-injured person function at maximal level. Ask your doctor about sugar, caffeine and alcohol use.

Exercise

Regular exercise and activity is an important part of every day. Keeping active is not only good for the body, but the mind and brain. The extent and type of the exercise should be cleared by your physician.

Social contacts, especially with brain-injured peers

Being with people is important for everybody. And for the brain injured individual, it’s particularly important to connect with others who have been through a similar experience. There are support groups, day treatment programs and adaptive courses—many available through local community colleges—that can provide a brain-injured person a structured way to be with other people.

Preventing a secondary injury

In order to prevent a secondary injury, it is important to monitor the brain-injured person’s behavior. She may need to be supervised when engaging in new, unpracticed activities. And, as noted above, she will need to avoid situations that may cause undesired behavior or reactions. She will need to avoid recreational drug and alcohol use.

Accessing answers to questions as they come up

The facility that discharged you home would be the first place to contact when questions arise. If they are unable to answer your questions, ask where they can refer you. This may well be a community based brain injury organization or a state level association. A great deal of general information is available on line.

More helpful information…

Brain Injury Information Handbook

This article is an excerpt from Schurig Center’s Brain Injury Information Handbook – a guide for patients and families from hospital to home. View and download your free copy of the handbook here for more helpful information to help you navigate the journey to recovery after a brain injury, concussion or stroke.

Resource Referral Assistance

You are not alone. We are here to help! Schurig Center is also pleased to offer referral resource assistance to help support you in your recovery process. Get more information about this service and access our online resource directory here.