BrainTrust Canada’s annual Okanagan Conference in May

message from BrainTrust Canada:

Greetings,

Please join us May 4th – 6th in Naramata, BC for BrainTrust Canada’s annual Okanagan Conference on Brain Injury. This interactive conference allows clients, care-givers and professionals to not only receive excellent information but to also gain personal support and insights to brain injury.

This years conference theme is Gaining Ground: Topics in Continuing Brain Injury Recovery. As service providers, we at BrainTrust Canada see how individuals have difficulties with the transitions from the acute-care setting to rehabilitation and then from rehabilitation to getting on with life. This year we are proud to bring in presenters who will provide practical skills for living well through the challenges of brain injury.

For more information please visit our WEBSITE. Also attached below is a copy of our conference program and registration form. If you have any questions regarding the conference or the registration process please email or contact us at (250) 762-3233.

more information here

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Comox Valley Head Injury Society Conference in June

A message Comox Valley Head Injury Society:

On behalf of the Comox Valley Head Injury Society (CVHIS), I am pleased to announce our 18th Annual G & J Johnson Brain Injury Conference:

Caring for Caregivers: Connecting Local Resources to Promote Caregiver Wellbeing in the Brain Injury Community and Beyond.

This conference aims to provide participants with practical information about family caregiving and promote the health and wellbeing of family caregivers through skills development.

The G & J Johnson Brain Injury Conference will be held on Thursday, June 16, 2011, at the Crown Isle Resort in Courtenay, BC.

more information here…

The Brainscan newsletter – Issue 1 Volume 2

In this our second issue of the Brainscan we bring you more relevant articles of interest to brain injury survivors and those living with brain injuries. Our Brainscan contributing editors bring you more fun stuff.

We are pleased to add Linda Amundsen  and Sandra Haszard (Garden Corner and Haszard’s Ahead respectively) as editors.  I have added the Bad Brain joke of the month to lighten the general serious tone of the newsletter.

I hope you enjoy our second issue. ~Josh, editor

The Brainscan newsletter – Issue 1 Volume 2…

Canada World Youth

adcMy name is Canh, 26 years old, I’m from Vietnam. I’m a participant in the Canada – Vietnam Volunteer Exchange Program with Canada World Youth (CWY) with Ana Maria, 25 years of age, from Columbia and now living in Montreal, Quebec. We came to Powell River for three months with my group. Prior to Powell River we spent three months in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, we lived in a small village in May Ba, and we stayed with 10 host families during that time. One Vietnamese and one Canadian in each family. Each week we had one day for EADs (educational activity day), every week was a different Presentation on history, economy, belief, art, women …, one day to practice dancing, singing, juggling, teaching English in middle school to local youth, and we did a Presentation about safe sex, HIV/AIDS, and other STDs in different high schools in Hoa Binh. We also had some Community activities in the village: soccer tournaments with local youth, May Ba Idol, salsa class, and movies for children.

Now Ana and me are volunteers in the Powell River Brain Injury Society three days per week. This is a place for people of any age living with a brain injury to come and have fun with friends. We do some work, finding Keynote Speaker, translating to Spanish, connecting with others to participate in the “Powell River Brain Injury 101 – A Marathon For Awareness”. We have a lot of exciting activities here, every Wednesday is Art Day, so we draw or paint. Josh, Jimmy, Mellisa are all members and we enjoy our time with them. I’m really excited with drawing for the first time in my life (I can’t believe I can draw)! On Friday, we talk, play games, watch movies, and say “Have a nice weekend to everybody”. With me this is the wonderful place i’ve been.

I and Brendon, my counterpart in this program, live with the Bird familly, Peter and Helena, they are really nice, kind and friendly. They have a huge organic farm with tomato, potato, onion, garlic, cow, chicken, pig and goat, and the babies goats are so cute. Most of foods in my host family are from our farm, so it’s very good, safety and healty. We always play game and talk together after dinner.

Powell River is a beautiful town with fresh air, a lot of forests with trails and beautiful view. There are some helpful Society Centre which not much city have. All the people who i met are really nice and friendly, and i got a lot of helping from local peoples. I feel lucky when i could try the Polar Bear Swim in January First, painting in Youth Centre, talking with Mr.Michael and Ms.Thanh – the Vietnamese family. I love this Town and the people here!!!…