Monday, August 10, 2015
St Joseph's Health Care London
Concussion symptom relief just a click away
A self-professed weekend warrior with a passion for mountain biking, hockey and snowboarding, Cliff Coté estimates he has sustained more than six concussions. As a result of his latest concussion in January, he was experiencing persisting post-concussion symptoms. “Thundering headaches, low energy, blurry vision, nausea and anxiety were plaguing me 24/7,” explains Coté, a 50 year old entrepreneur from Bayfield.
Now for people like Coté dealing with persisting symptoms following a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury(mTBI), help is just a click away with new web pages developed by the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) team at St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute.
“These web pages provide information to help people self-manage some of their persisting concussion/mTBI symptoms, and to empower families and clinicians in the community who might not otherwise know what to do about concussion/mTBI.” says physiotherapist and project lead Laura Graham.
The majority of individuals referred for brain injury services at Parkwood are classified as mild brain injury (as opposed to moderate or severe), which is consistent with provincial averages. While only a fraction of those who sustain a concussion end up with persisting symptoms, this group also falls under the category of concussion/mTBI. The innovation of these web pages represents yet another way to increase timely access to care.
The web content includes videos with topics focusing on strategies for improving organization, concentration/attention, vision, balance, and relaxation techniques. In some cases, actual outpatient education sessions were videotaped so the web content is the next best thing to being there. There are also helpful links to community resources and research.
“These web pages provide excellent tools to help manage concussion/mTBI symptoms,” says Coté. “The sooner you find the right tool, the sooner the healing begins.” Cote’s family is referencing the site to find answers, and he has recommended it to friends with mTBI/concussion so they too can find ways to help manage their symptoms.
Visit the concussion/mTBI education web pages at: https://www.sjhc.london.on.ca/concussion-mtbi
This project is funded by a St. Joseph’s Health Care London President’s Grant for Innovation.
Laura Graham and Cliff Cote will be available to speak to media:
- Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 10:45 am
- Parkwood Institute's Neurobehavioural Rehabilitation Centre, 550 Wellington Rd, London
Media Contact:
Anne Kay, Communication and Public Affairs
Pager: 519-649-9238 Phone: 519-646-6100 ext 42470
anne.kay@sjhc.london.on.ca
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