Centers for Disease Control (CDC) statistics estimate that more than 5.3 million Americans are living with the effects of traumatic brain injuries, often called ‘invisible injuries’. Unlike a broken arm or leg, brain injuries affect people in ways that are not always visible, such as poor memory or impulse control.
To help educate the public, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) hosts Brain Injury Awareness Month every year during March. The main event of Brain Injury Awareness Month takes place in Washington D.C. on March 16th, and allows people to converse with their elected representatives.
Brain Injury Awareness Month also allows the rest of us to educate our families, friends and coworkers on these injuries. Here is how you can get involved.
The BIAA hosts educational resources on its website, such as posters, fliers and fact sheets that can be printed and hung up around offices. Businesses and other organizations can post these fliers near watercoolers or in break rooms where others will read the information and hopefully understand how brain injuries affect their fellow Americans.
The BIAA also posts regular social media updates on its Twitter and Facebook pages that businesses can share with followers.
Who Benefits from Brain Injury Awareness Month?
Who will Brain Injury Awareness Month help the most? People like a 71-year-old Colorado Springs man who was hit and injured by a drunk driver 39 years ago. His brain injury makes everyday tasks difficult, as his short term memory was severely affected. Regardless, his wife has stuck by him all of these years, and they continue to help each other to this day. His story was recently discussed in the Colorado Springs Gazette.
Brain injury awareness month can educate others on what they can do to improve the lives of those suffering from these invisible injuries.