Tomorrow, researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Brain Injury Association of Maryland will host a forum on traumatic brain injuries at the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground facilities in Aberdeen, Maryland. The forum will begin at 1 PM ET and last until 4 PM ET in the APG’s post theater, and the audience in attendance will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive exercise that will deal in sensory and perception simulation, as well as a question and answer session with the researchers and experts on hand.
However, there is good news for a significant number of people who are unable to attend tomorrow’s event – it will be broadcast to at least 15 military installations across the U.S., according to the U.S. Army’s press release. Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic Staff Sgt. Joseph Hill said that the purpose of the event is to help educate the families and friends of people living with traumatic brain injuries.
“People generally associate brain injuries with active duty service members but in reality it affects the entire population,” he said.
KUSAHC’s Chief of Behavioral Health Care Services Wendy Witmer also stressed the importance of public awareness toward TBI, as March represented Brain Injury Awareness Month throughout the U.S.
“Brain injury awareness is an issue that needs to be addressed in every community,” she said. “TBI can result from numerous causes including contact sports, falls, motor vehicle crashes, combat situations, etc.
“The effects of TBI can impact physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning, which may result in poor school or work performance, decreased productivity, and an inability to complete the mission. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of TBI and provide treatment as soon as possible in order to provide the greatest potential for recovery.”
More than 1.7 million people, including 475,000 children, experience brain injuries each year, and many more spend their entire lives with disabilities because of them.