Concussion is widely recognized as an injury to the brain that in some cases can have long lasting effects.
Researchers – especially those at University Health Network's (UHN) Canadian Concussion Centre (CCC) – are hard at work to find ways to treat this common brain injury. But in the meantime, what help is available to those individuals experiencing persistent post-concussive symptoms?
A two-day workshop was developed in 2014 by CCC researchers Drs. Lesley Ruttan and Robin Green, both clinical neuropsychologists at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (TRI) as well as members of the Cognitive Neurorehabilitation Sciences Lab (TRI/UHN), to educate and support those who find it challenging to cope with these symptoms.
The workshop has received an overwhelmingly positive response and consistent participation since its launch. But with approximately 200,000 concussions occurring annually in Canada – and up to 15 per cent of those individuals left with persistent symptoms– not all patients are capable of travelling to downtown Toronto to take part in the workshop.
The CCC team therefore wanted to make it accessible beyond in-person attendance.
When Symptoms of Single and Multiple Concussions Persist: An Education and Support Workshop is now
available online and for free in a four-part video series.
Two videos focus on education about concussions, what the research says to date, media coverage of concussion, and strategies on how to cope with persistent symptoms. The remaining two videos are Q&A sessions about concussions with Dr. Charles Tator, research director of the CCC, answering questions submitted by workshop participants.
"There isn't much available in terms of support services for people who have experienced concussions," says Dr. Ruttan. "The workshop has been very helpful in terms of fostering a community and giving these individuals the sense that they're not alone in their suffering and we felt it was important to make it available to as many people as possible."
