Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 10:14:17 GMT -5
Tribes form brain injury groups
By BECKY SHAY
Of The Gazette Staff
Two brain injury support groups are forming on the Northern Cheyenne and
Crow reservations.
The group facilitators are Quintin Kingfisher in Lame Deer and Dean Bird
in Crow Agency.
Both men said they have personal experiences with brain-injured loved
ones and hope to help fill voids by having support groups in their
communities.
The groups are open to those with injuries, their families, their
friends and other caregivers, as well as service providers. "It's
mainly about resources," Bird said. "Where to get help and to help
themselves, whether it is long-term or immediate."
Kingfisher said the group aims to provide a trusting
and confidential atmosphere to talk.
"It will give people a chance to come and participate," Kingfisher said.
"It will give them a platform to be able to share whatever they want to
share."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers traumatic brain
injury a serious public health problem for American Indians and Alaska
Natives.
Both ethnic groups have more deaths and larger hospitalization rates for
traumatic brain injury than any other race, according to the CDC.
Montana ranks second in the nation in the number of traumatic brain
injuries per capita, with motor vehicle wrecks the leading cause of the
injuries, according to the CDC.
"I think our reservation has a high incidence," Kingfisher said.
The groups were organized with support from the Montana Department of
Public Health and Human Services.
The agency's state brain injury coordinator, Nell Eby, said the goal is
for members to help guide how the groups develop.
Some groups around the state do fundraising and support outings in the
community and attend gatherings such as brain injury conferences, she
said.
The groups will begin as a place where people can share information and
give each other hope, Eby said.
"For those who are out there looking for a way to meet other people with
some of the similar situations, it will give them a great opportunity to
connect within the community," Eby said
By BECKY SHAY
Of The Gazette Staff
Two brain injury support groups are forming on the Northern Cheyenne and
Crow reservations.
The group facilitators are Quintin Kingfisher in Lame Deer and Dean Bird
in Crow Agency.
Both men said they have personal experiences with brain-injured loved
ones and hope to help fill voids by having support groups in their
communities.
The groups are open to those with injuries, their families, their
friends and other caregivers, as well as service providers. "It's
mainly about resources," Bird said. "Where to get help and to help
themselves, whether it is long-term or immediate."
Kingfisher said the group aims to provide a trusting
and confidential atmosphere to talk.
"It will give people a chance to come and participate," Kingfisher said.
"It will give them a platform to be able to share whatever they want to
share."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers traumatic brain
injury a serious public health problem for American Indians and Alaska
Natives.
Both ethnic groups have more deaths and larger hospitalization rates for
traumatic brain injury than any other race, according to the CDC.
Montana ranks second in the nation in the number of traumatic brain
injuries per capita, with motor vehicle wrecks the leading cause of the
injuries, according to the CDC.
"I think our reservation has a high incidence," Kingfisher said.
The groups were organized with support from the Montana Department of
Public Health and Human Services.
The agency's state brain injury coordinator, Nell Eby, said the goal is
for members to help guide how the groups develop.
Some groups around the state do fundraising and support outings in the
community and attend gatherings such as brain injury conferences, she
said.
The groups will begin as a place where people can share information and
give each other hope, Eby said.
"For those who are out there looking for a way to meet other people with
some of the similar situations, it will give them a great opportunity to
connect within the community," Eby said