Puzzle I’ve gathered pieces of information on this month’s support groups and therapy services offered in the Salt Lake Valley. In case you missed last month’s meeting, I’ve attached notes along with upcoming events you’ll want to put on your calendar. Also included are links to useful websites. If you have activity announcements or other information you’d like to share in this newsletter, please email Barbara@UnitingCaregivers.com. By assisting others with their puzzle, we get a clearer view of our own.

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FREE SUPPORT GROUPS AVAILABLE IN THE SALT LAKE VALLEY

April 11, 2017 – Brain Injury Alliance Support Group for Adults, 6-8 p.m. Meets every 2^nd Tuesday monthly at Sanderson Community Deaf Center, 5709 South 1500 West, SLC, UT 84123

This is a social group where dinner is enjoyed together and then games played or crafts made. All caregivers and survivors are welcome. For more information call: Jennifer (801) 468-0027 or Beth (801) 585-5511

April 20, 2017: Caring For the Caregivers Group, 7-8 p.m. Meets every 3^rd Thursday monthly at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) 5171 S, Cottonwood St., Bldg. 1 Floor 7 Murray, UT 84107

The presenter for this night is Lauri Schoenfeld. Her topic is Embracing Fear to Move Forward. Lauri is a wife, mother of three, writer, child abuse survivor, scoliosis survivor and has dealt with massive depression. She will address what holds us back and how to overcome it so we can be our best selves. She is positive, fun and energetic. You’ll be glad you came.

April 20, 2017 – Brain Injury and Stroke Survivor Group 7-8 p.m. Meets every 3^rd Thursday monthly at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) 5171 S, Cottonwood St., Bldg. 1 Floor 9 Murray, UT 84107

Dr. Reddy

The presenter for this night is Cara Camiolo Reddy, MD, MMM. Her topic is Managing Mood and Fatigue. She is a new Neuro Rehabilitation Specialist and her favorite thing to remedy is neuro fatigue.

April 25, 2017 – University of Utah Brain Injury Support Group 7 p.m. Meets every 4th Tuesday monthly at Sugarhouse Health Center (801) 581-2221 1138 E. Wilmington Avenue

FREE WEEKLY GROUPS offered through INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTH CARE NEURO THERAPY SERVICES

Aphasia Talking Practice Group – Meets every Tuesday Noon-1 p.m. 5770 South 250 East #G50

Cognitive Skills Group – Meets every Thursday Noon-1 p.m. 5770 South 250 East #G50

Meditation Group – Meets every Wednesday 3 p.m. 5770 South 250 East Cafeteria Conference Room

Contact: Dr. Russo at antonietta.russo@imail.org

Epilepsy Groups for those affected by seizures.

Together we share coping strategies, provide encouragement, comfort and advice from people with common experiences. For more information contact Margo @ (801) 455-6089 or Utah@efa.org

April 6, 2017 – Epilepsy Group for Parents 7:00 p.m.-8:15 p.m. Meets every 1^st Thursday of the month Riverton Library Auditorium 12877 S. 1830 W., Riverton, Ut.

April 13, 2017 – Epilepsy Group for All Effected by Seizures 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Meets every 2^nd Thursday of the month Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) 5171 S. Cottonwood St., Bldg. 1, Ninth Floor, Murray, UT 84107

April 19, 2017 – Epilepsy Group for All Effected by Seizures 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Meets every 3^rd Wednesday of the month SLC Main Library 200 E. 400 S., SLC, UT (2^nd floor conference room)

Sorry, cancelled this month – Epilepsy Group for Women Only 7:00 – 8:15 p.m. Meets every 4^th Thursday of the month SLC Main Library 200 E. 400 S. (3rd floor conference room)

May 24, 2017 – Epilepsy Group for Teens 7 p.m. Will meet the 4th Wednesday monthly West Jordan Library

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NOTES FROM MARCH MEETING’S

Brain Injury Alliance Support Group for Adults met Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at the Sanderson Community Deaf Center located 5709 South 1500 West

This social group enjoyed delicious meatball sandwiches together. Afterwards they played board games. All caregivers and survivors are welcome. Thank you Jennifer Gee and Beth Cardell for doing a great job directing this group. For more information call: Jennifer (801) 468-0027 or Beth (801) 585-5511.

Caring For the Caregivers Group plus the Brain Injury & Stroke Survivor Group Thursday, March 16, 2017 Speakers: Greg and Laura Nordfelt their topic was Nurturing Relationships After Brain Injury

The Nordfelt’s spoke candidly about their personal experiences in regard to family and friend’s relationships. The turned down meals, visits and other offers of help because they were overwhelmed with their new situations and were fiercely independent, resulting in friends and family giving them the space they thought they wanted or needed for healing. This left them feeling neglected, ignored, lonely, abandoned, isolated, disrespected, unsupported and misunderstood. They overcame those feelings by reaching out to others, making new friends and mending broken relationships.

For more detail on their presentation see articles:

What Doesn’t Kill Us Makes Us Stronger, part 1

What Doesn’t Kill Us Makes Us Stronger, part 2

Nurturing Relationships

BIAU 5K Run, Walk & Roll

Date: May 20, 2017

Time: 8 am

Place: Liberty Park – 650 E. 1300 S., Salt Lake City

USEFUL WEBSITES:

www.caregiver.org (online webinars for caregivers)

www.tbicommunity.org (online educational programs)

www.braininjury.com (medical, legal, information resource)

www.abta.org (brain tumor education and information)

www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi (brain injury facts, programs, education)

www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/all-disorders (education for brain injury, stroke and other neurological disorders)

www.nationalmssociety.org/Resources-Support (resource for those with MS)

www.epilepsy.com/utah and/or www.epilepsy.com (seizure education and support by state or national)

https://biau.org (resource for those with brain injury)

http://www.brainline.org (preventing, treating and living with TBI)

Laptops http://www.brainline.org/abbymaslin (blog about loving and learning after TBI)

www.unitingcaregivers.wordpress.com (caregivers sharing stories, tips and thoughts)

www.facebook.com/UTteensupportgroup (social interaction and the exchange useful resources)

Thank you for reading. I hope you will follow this website via email to receive notifications of every new post. The “Follow” button is located at the beginning of the newsletter. However, if you want to subscribe only to a monthly newsletter, please email Barbara@UnitingCaregivers.com. I will add you to the newsletter email list and send you the link monthly. If you wish to discontinue send a statement, “Unsubscribe to Newsletter” and I will remove your email address.

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NOTES FROM FEBRUARY MEETINGS

Brain Injury Alliance Support Group for Adults met Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at Sanderson Community Deaf Center in Murray.

This is a social group where dinner is enjoyed together and then games played or crafts made. All caregivers and survivors are welcome. In February, the second Tuesday fell on Valentine’s Day. We enjoyed a Panda Express dinner together and made valentine cards. Jennifer Gee and Beth Cardell do a great job directing this group. For more information call: Jennifer (801) 468-0027 or Beth (801) 585-5511

Caring For the Caregivers met Thursday, February 16, 2017 at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) in Murray. The speaker, Kim Kirkham, M.S. CCC-SLP shared Tips for Improving Communication.

Notes from caregiver, Barbara Wilson

Kim directed a helpful discussion and gave valuable communication tips. She was the perfect choice for this topic based on her profession as a speech therapist and personal experience with her dad being a TBI survivor. We appreciated her sharing information with us. Some helpful tips Kim shared: Body language is 55% of our communication. Tone of voice is 38% and the words used are merely 7%.

People will remember how they felt in your presence rather than the words you said. Don’t have problem solving conversation when either one is tired. Have good lighting on your face and use eye contact, especially if hearing is an issue. To get their attention, use their name and move closer instead of getting louder. Decrease background noise, if possible. If they’re in a chair, sit to the side of them. Standing in front conveys authority, not equality.

If memory is a problem, chalk or white boards are helpful for important events or schedules. Write in caps, it’s easier to read.

Repeating causes distress and frustration. Set boundaries to help you stay compassionate. Be mad at the disease and not at the loved one.

Brain Injury & Stroke Survivor Group met Thursday, February 16, 2017 at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) in Murray. The Speaker, Dr. Jason L Smith, DC spoke on, Natural Ways to Decrease Fatigue and Improve Endurance.

Notes from survivor, Greg Nordfelt gregnordfelt.com

Dr. Smith gave an educational presentation and slides. What we eat instantly impacts “neurodegeneration” (loss of connection between brain cells, fatigue and symptoms of aging, Alzheimer’s, etc). The same is true if we stop learning: it immediately impacts our stomach, our physical body starts to age, taking cues from our brain that we have passed our learning stage and are now physically supposed to start aging, become more lazy, tired, less active, less muscular, etc.

3 Keys to Decrease Fatigue:

Decrease sugar & increase protein! Stay completely away from fake sugar (it’s poison flat out!) Increase blood flow. Exercise 5 minutes as soon as you wake up!

Decrease inflammation. Don’t eat grains, dairy or soy. Exercise or walk (or move available body extremities) vigorously at least 2 miles 3 times a week (refer to Dr. Doidge’s 2nd book “The Brain’s Way of Healing”. This is the number one way to fight against neurodegeneration and fatigue. Exercising 2 miles generates dopamine. It also generates new brain cells.

Learn something new. Challenge your brain to learn new things as you age. This, along with exercise and feeding our stomach healthy protein, will release good brain chemicals and grow good brain cells.

Last, but definitely not least, five minute brain breaks per hour decreases fatigue. If you’re in a stressful time crunch, take 6 calm breaths because if you don’t, he said, “you’re going to crash”.

Dr. Smith says, “The brain and the stomach are connected. Feed both and exercise to win the daily fatigue battle.”

Thank you, Greg, for sharing your notes!