When “Can’t” is About Power

An article "When Can't Is About Power' by Cheryl Green really got me thinking.  I reckon most of us have been on one side or other of this conversation at some time. If you have visited Changed Lives or  Changed Lives New Journey's Facebook you probably know I am a big Cheryl Green and Who Am I To Stop It fan. Her energy and talent are limitless.  Today with her generous permission I am reposting this article from her blog. While I am still struggling to learn the ropes, Cheryl has mastered audio recordings and reads her posts in addition to the written word so I recommend  visiting Cheryl’s site if you would like to listen  OR you can listen HERE: I still recommend a visit to www.whoamItostopit.com as there is so much more to discover.   “When “Can’t” Is About Power by Cheryl Green I heard someone say this once:  “I can’t do that anymore since my brain injury.” And the person…

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PEACH – Gathering Information About Brain Injury

PEACH is a simple tool supporters can use when gathering information about a person and their brain injury. It can help to understand the bigger story. PEACH is particularly useful when behaviour is challenging.   First though – a little disclaimer – I know I am always disclaiming myself from something. I just like to be clear.   A Little Disclaimer about PEACH and Gathering Information About Brain Injury: This tool I am sharing has been used mainly by people working with people with brain injury. This tool might also be useful as a self directed thingy if you are someone living with brain injury - I have not tested this out. You could give it a go. If you are family member or friend– same, same – it might be helpful. Feel free to try it out - or you could skip today's article but please come back next week. I do hope there is something here for everyone. If it…

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Brain Injury is Different

Brain injury is unique, its outcomes distinct. Often I have heard of confusion about brain injury with mental illness and brain injury with intellectual disability. So today I am updating and reposting an article I wrote a while ago that reminds us of the differences. Brain Injury is DIFFERENT to other conditions, illnesses, and disabilities: [unordered_list style="green-dot"] Sometimes brain injury is confused with, or misdiagnosed as, another disorder. Understanding that brain injury is different can assist you to encourage correct diagnosis, and be able to provide support more successfully. If you have experience supporting people with other disorders you may need to review, change, or tailor your strategies to meet the needs of a person with brain injury. Understanding how brain injury is different can help you do this. For example it is important to understand why working with a person with an intellectual disability requires different strategies to working with a person with brain injury. [/unordered_list] Brain injury is different to:…

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PECKS – Principles for Brain Injury Strategies

  In order to build brilliant strategies for brain injury it  can be helpful to have a framework – sort of like the scaffolding around a building - to help guide and support you. Below are a set of principles that can help to form a framework that is effective,  and focusses on the person. To help memory I am a fan of an acronym –  you can see ACORN and BECAUSE in the article on Challenging Behaviour. You could use BECAUSE instead of PECKS here if it works better for you. Think PECKS – Principles for Brain Injury Strategies From body building to brilliant strategy building: P   = Positive - Strengths Based E =  Easy Changes First C =  Consistency and Structure K =  Keep it Simple S = Seek support   Positive and Strength Based We do better when we begin with what we are good at and the focus in on our strengths. Like a body builder - look…

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Read more about the article Genius Only Need Apply – A Once in a Lifetime Job -The Brain At Work.
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Genius Only Need Apply – A Once in a Lifetime Job -The Brain At Work.

  The Brain at work has an impressive and complex resume of skills and responsibilities. It is likely the biggest job in the world! Big shoes to fill! While the job is not on offer, I hope thinking about it in this way will help understanding The Brain at work. As you read about the role and tasks required - picture what might happen if you – as The Brain – slipped up in of these tasks!   The Biggest Job in the World! The Brain At Work: Here is a quick summary of what you would need to do if you were The Brain: [unordered_list style="green-dot"] Play a vital role in the life and organisation of every human. Be responsible for EVERY single thing a human does. Responsibility for the things that the body knows about and decides to do such as cooking dinner. And the things that are not obvious but need to happen anyway - such as breathing. Take in,…

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10 Favourite Brain Injury Posts – An Anniversary Selection

Happy Anniversary Changed Lives New Journeys – it is two years and 110 posts since I began writing this blog, about brain injury. I thought I would choose a random selection of 10 favourite posts about brain injury from the past two years. The following are chosen for a range of reasons which I will try and summarise below:   1.  A Space Known as Liminal and Traumatic Brain Injury. This article was one I really enjoyed from idea to publishing. From research to writing. It also drew more comment and conversation than any other post.    2.  “I’m So Tired My Brain Hurts” Cognitive Fatigue. Cognitive fatigue has been the topic that has drawn the most interest and comment. And it continues to do so.      3.  Storytelling and Storylistening: Brain Injury Through Stories Through researching this article I was able to share a little about how I can follow ideas and end up in a very different place to…

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Read more about the article Daaa-daa-dadada-daaa-da Daaa da daa dun Daaa da daa dun – Task Busters
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Daaa-daa-dadada-daaa-da Daaa da daa dun Daaa da daa dun – Task Busters

   No it's not gremlins in the website. It's my attempt at a clever title about Task Busters- see below! It came about because a support worker asked me about 'Breaking tasks down into manageable steps’. It is a familiar strategy after brain injury. How do you do it in real life? Be a Task Buster It's like 'Ghostbuster' (as in the movie) only this is for tasks, not ghosts. The title above is my attempt to phonetically sing the Ghostbusters Theme Song for you! You are very welcome to recommend improvement. To get things done in life, and use the energy resources we have well, we all need to do a bit of task busting. This goes for whether you are helping someone else organise tasks, or you are going to be your own 'Task Buster'. Unfortunately I cannot claim credit for the term ‘Task Busting’. This great term and the two tricks for success below, come from a book I have…

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Read more about the article Inspirational and Disability – Cliche, Demeaning, or Fact?
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Inspirational and Disability – Cliche, Demeaning, or Fact?

Inspirational! In particular inspirational and disability (and in particularly brain injury). Who would think it could be so complicated!   While "inspirational" is a word I am a bit fond of using I have discovered it is easy to misuse, and readily becomes demeaning.   I was showing a friend the work of Cheryl Green and co. in Seattle on the site “Who Am I To Stop It”: "Who Am I To Stop It" is a non-inspirational documentary film on artists with brain injury. We focus on quiet observation of the featured artists. The film explores the roles that art plays in people's lives for finding peace, peace of mind, connecting to their pre-injury lives, and connecting to community." “Why non-inspirational? What’s wrong with inspirational?” I was asked by my friend. At the time I thought I gave a fairly credible summary of why NOT inspirational. Talking about valuing a person’s achievements and roles. Of not finding a person inspirational just because…

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Read more about the article Back to Basics: The Fantastic Brain Protection System
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Back to Basics: The Fantastic Brain Protection System

Picture a fur coat,     over a suit of armour,         over a clingy, stretchy, body suit.             Add a helpful river floating through,                 and an invisible fence.                     Seal it all up                         and there you have it: Brain Protection!   We frequently marvel at the wonders of the brain and its structures. We know it controls all we do. It is also a mass of jelly that can’t look after itself. Damage to the delicate brain often happens because one or more of the systems that protect and feed the brain are interrupted or broken. How does brain protection happen?  How does the brain get the food it needs to keep up?   Brain Protection At Work? A series of layers protect and enclose the brain to help keep it safe. This protection is probably why many of us survive the bumps and falls of childhood, and the crazy things we do as adolescents and beyond. These layers are…

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The Brain at Work: Cognitive Function

Today a practical exercise to help understand more about what cognitive function means. Earlier we looked at a brief introduction, of what cognitive means today a more concrete way to understand what it is all about. To get your own cognitive cogs working do the exercises below before you read to the end. Then read on to the answers. Compare your list with those below and see how you go. You are also welcome to use this exercise to help others understand what cognitive means. It may be helpful to do it as a small group. Even simple sounding tasks may need complex thinking.  If you want some examples to get a better idea  of cognitive function and skills a number are listed here: [box style="rounded"]Examples of Cognitive Skills from Serendip Studio," a digital ecosystem for exploring"[/box]   Definition of Cognitive Function Before we launch into a big thinking exercise, here is a reminder of what “cognitive” means: The brief definition: “Cognition…

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