Brain injuries can take on a number of forms, and they affect everyone differently. If someone you know and love suffers from a traumatic brain injury, there are things you can do to help. At TryMunity, our team offers a few ways you can make a difference.

Understand the Effects

In cases where the injury is severe, people with a traumatic brain injury may have trouble communicating for a number of reasons. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), these injuries can result in hearing loss and headaches as well as communication problems. It is possible they may have difficulty finding the words they need, according to the organization. Being aware of the individual’s struggles may help friends and family members more effectively communicate with them.

Ask What You Can Do

Do not be afraid to ask how you can help. If the injury is severe, ask the person who regularly cares for your loved one. According to the ASHA, part of the individual’s healing will focus on teaching friends and family members how to interact with their loved one, and, eventually, participating in activities. Find out what role you can play to help recovery.

Spread Awareness

One way anyone can help someone, regardless of if they have a traumatic brain injury or a concussion, is to help educate other people. It is important for those affected to get help when they need it, and for other people to understand the affliction. Please join our TryMunity community today to see how you can make a difference. Visit us at http://community.trymunity.com.

You may have a son or daughter who is the avid athletic type. Although sports can play a key role in maintaining good physical health, you need to be aware of a problem that has only recently begun to attract the attention it truly deserves. Traumatic brain injury is frequently experienced by youth. At TryMunity, we hear plenty of stories to know that there is hope with the right information and support system.

Facing the Risks

Sports all come with their own risks. High-impact sports put participants at a greater risk for experiencing mild to severe concussions, and coaches cannot always prevent serious injuries. Recent studies suggest that the effects of even mild traumatic brain injury can last for much longer than was originally believed. This is especially true in young players, where there is an increased likelihood of “second impact syndrome.”

Take Action

There are a number of ways that you can act to protect your child without pulling him or her from an athletic program:

• Learn the signs and symptoms of a concussion.
• Verify that the coaching staff is able to check for signs of brain injury.
• Refer other parents to informative materials.
• Talk about the problem.

Join our efforts at TryMunity to educate yourself and learn how to take action in your own community. By increasing awareness, you can do your part to prevent a traumatic brain injury from going unnoticed. Athletic programs help motivate kids to challenge themselves, and with the right information, they can do it more safely. Contact us online at www.trymunity.com.

Unfortunately, it is only recently that the true extent of the effects of a concussion is beginning to be understood by our society as a whole. It happens far too often that an individual who has suffered from a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is not treated swiftly enough or properly. In these instances, the individual will face consequences that are far more severe than if he or she had simply been treated properly from the outset. This is why education is so important, as people must understand how far-reaching the implications of an injury of this nature can be. At Trymunity, we are trying to both educate and support.

Family and Friends Need Education

In the wake of a concussion, there are very specific guidelines that should be followed in order to minimize the potential damage of the injury:

• Seek medical attention as soon as possible
• Rest and recover by avoiding physical activities, especially those that may result in contact to the head
• Understand that each injury is unique, and some individuals will need more recovery time than others
• Return to physical activity only after being cleared by a doctor to do so

The Value of Support

As more research is conducted and more is learned about the nature of a concussion every day, it is especially important to be a part of a community that is knowledgeable and can offer support to you during a trying time. We urge you to become an active part of our community, Trymunity, by visiting our community webpage. There you can learn more about the nature of these injuries and contribute your knowledge and experiences as well.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have vast effects on every aspect of an individual’s life and is an injury that many people suffer from. Every year, over 1.7 million people suffer from a TBI due to vehicle accidents, playing sports, or falling. The three main effects of a TBI that can be treated by the experienced staff at TryMunity include physical, cognitive, and behavioral implications.

Physical

Individuals that suffer from this type of brain injury may experience frequent headaches and difficulty speaking. This may involve stuttering, problems putting sentences together, and the ability to use the right word in a certain situation. Other physical effects include blurry eyesight, difficulties hearing, and lower levels of energy.

Cognitive

A TBI may also have cognitive and psychological effects on an individual. Many individuals that suffer from a TBI encounter a limited attention span, problems concentrating on simple tasks, and the inability to remember information. Individuals that are living with the effects of a TBI may also have problems making decisions both important and menial.

Behavioral

There are many behavioral effects of traumatic brain injuries. If you know a friend or family member that suffered from a TBI, you may notice that they act differently then they previously did.  Making rash decisions and becoming angered and frustrated easily are both behavioral effects of a TBI that may not have been present in the individual’s character before the TBI occurred.

Living with the physical, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes of a TBI can be frustrating. Because of this, there are many organizations, like TryMunity, dedicated to helping individuals that suffered from a traumatic brain injury get back to living a normal life. To get in touch with TryMunity, call 1 (844) 838-2900.

Getting the word out about any good cause is difficult enough as it is for any nonprofit and fund raising is always a battle for some. In today’s world, social media has opened many doors of opportunity for creating awareness. Advocates can spread the word through popular social media platforms.

For example, the first step to create social awareness about any nonprofit is simple. Let’s take Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI for example. It’s important that you tap into the most commonly used social media tools first. Currently Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest provide many avenues to reach thousands – if not millions – of interested readers who may need be aware of TBI and how they might be affected by such injuries.

By connecting social media users with your online content, you can create more engaged users for your website or blog and overall gain better SEO.

On Facebook, viral sharing of informative content or photos with short, descriptive captions can be a successful method of promoting TBI Awareness. “Did you know?” material catches the ear of a listening audience and stirs them to share with other like-minded friends and family who might be affected by TBIs.

On Twitter, the use of hashtags (that is, #) can connect users with others who are looking for similar content. Hashtags narrow the audience and provide for a more engaged user experience who will be more likely to connect to a health care provider’s website and learn more about traumatic brain injuries. For example, #health, #BrainInuries, #TBI, or even #hockey, #football and other related sports can connect those at risk for traumatic brain injuries with the resources they might need to find awareness and support.

On Pinterest, the use of informative graphics with large text and a DIY or how-to attitude can engage users and encourage them to re-pin your content. Pinterest drives users directly to your website as they click your graphics, which is an excellent way to create awareness and spur web hits.

The key to engaging social media is to find the right audience and to ensure that your content is worth sharing.

A fantastic method of creating relevant content is to share real-life stories of those who have experienced traumatic brain injuries. Join sites like TryMunity.com, a social network for those touched by TBI. Consider beginning a blog for your health care practice and asking those affected by TBIs to share their stories of success, recovery or risk. By connecting real people with real social media users, you can create a community of individuals who need to learn more about TBIs and as a result, increase TBI awareness.

Sharing relevant content through popular social media avenues will help you find that the right listeners will find your content and share it with others.

Want to get started? Create a Facebook page, Twitter account and Pinterest business account for your practice today. Invite friends to follow you and share with those they know and love, and search for similar practices or users that you can connect with. You can then populate your feeds with relevant content: share information from your website, real-life stories on your blog, or how to get connected with your business.

TBI Awareness is important. By using social media avenues to engage your audience you can create awareness about traumatic brain injuries and provide users of all ages with the information they need to avoid risk and seek appropriate treatment.