Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month: How much do you know about TBI?

What do you know about TBI? Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is caused when an outside force, any jolt to the head or penetrating head injury, disrupts the normal function of the brain. While not every blow to the head will result in a TBI, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 2.5 million TBI’s occurring in 2010 alone and approximately 1.5 million people suffering from a traumatic brain injury each year. Because of the severity of this issue, we at CapGrow Partners wanted to do our part this September by sharing some additional information with you. Who is susceptible to TBI? While a TBI can happen to anyone at any time, there are a few groups that stand out as more at risk than others. For example, females are 1.5 times less likely to get a TBI than males. Age also plays a role in risk level with 0-4 year olds and 15-19 year olds being the two groups with the highest level of risk for sustaining a TBI. What are the highest causes of TBI? While there are a variety of ways a TBI can occur, car accidents and falls are the top two reasons someone reports a TBI. What can we do? Preventing TBI is our best bet at fighting it. Below are the most common recommendations from leading professionals that we can implement in order to protect ourselves.

• Use rails when walking on stairways
• Monitor children closely near open windows
• Always wear a seat belt in motor vehicles
• Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Always wear a helmet when using open unrestrained vehicles such as bikes, motorcycles, and snowmobiles

Additionally, there are organizations that exist to prevent serious injuries and provide access to services for individuals in need. The Center Foundation works to promote the health and safety of kids through access to sports medicine services and education leading to less sports related TBI's for one of the highest risk groups. The Love Your Brain Foundation focuses on assisting people who've been affected by brain injury through their programs that aim to improve the quality of life for those impacted by TBI. We at CapGrow Partners understand the power of working together to achieve a common goal. It is in this spirit that we share this information with any and all who come across this page, to raise awareness of Traumatic Brain Injury.

"The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance." - Nathaniel Branden