City aids victims of brain trauma

Monday, Dec. 31, 2001 | 1:43 a.m.

The program, called Heading On, has about 40 participants on its roster. Its members meet the first Tuesday of every month to plan weekly outings. The group has provided victims of traumatic brain injury social opportunities within the group and in the community.

"There was a demand (for the program) because there was nothing out there for people who had traumatic brain injuries," Jana Salisbury, senior adaptive recreation leader for the city, said. "We focus on leisure, education and recreation -- anything from arts and crafts, going to movies or out to dinner.

"They go to lounge shows, the bowling alley. They plan the calendar for whatever they want to do for the month."

Participants must pay for events and must have their own transportation. Most events held at the Mirabelli Community Center, 6200 Elton Ave., near Jones Boulevard and U.S. 95, are offered free of charge.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 1.5 million cases of traumatic brain injury -- defined as an injury to the head that disrupts the normal function of the brain -- are reported annually in the United States, and that about 5.3 million people in the United States live with a disability caused by such trauma.

Salisbury said that many of the participants are referred to the program by the Nevada Community Enrichment Program, a brain-injury rehabilitation program on West Charleston Boulevard, as well as University Medical Center's rehabilitation units.

Some of the participants are still in the clinical rehabilitation stage, while others live in assisted living homes or live independently.