Author Archives: bachk

The second time I walked through the front doors of Headway, I was once again reminded of why I was so uneager to leave the first time. With my first steps inside, I could feel the warm and accepting atmosphere, as I was immediately welcomed by all of the staff and members. Each made it their duty to greet me, with introductions as new friends or handshakes from old ones.

Bingo (Image via Wikipedia)

It was soon brought to my attention that the bingo caller (I) had arrived just on time, because everyone was just beginning to set up for bingo. As an experienced veteran from my previous visit, I did not want to disappoint the larger number of players this time. Because there were more members to play this time, the resulting tournament was livelier, but also more chaotic. However, the staff were very quick to settle members who interrupted the game. Overall, the flow of the game was much smoother, despite having more members that required special attention to ensure they were following along. I would like to think that it was in part due to my superior bingo calling abilities this time around.

During my first visit, much of my attention was focused on the members. Confirming lecture discussions and the literature (Dikmen et al., 1983), I was able to see first-hand the vast differences in cognitive and behavioural abilities of those suffering from TBI. I also noticed the benefits of a centre like Headway, as a positive community-building resource for these members. This second visit to Headway has shown me that a large part of why Headway works is because of the staff and volunteers. What really stood out to me this visit was how well the staff could handle the variety of situations that occur at Headway, and produce this warm, supportive environment. As previously discussed during class facilitations, social isolation can be detrimental to the recovery of TBI patients (McLellan et al., 2010). The staff at Headway ensure that every member is engaged and treated with respect as a regular human being.

Blackfish (2013) (image via Wikipedia)

My previous point of treating members with respect leads me to a conversation I had with one of the members while we were watching Blackfish (2013) on Netflix. This member brought up a variety of interesting facts about killer whales and insights that I had not even considered. This interaction reminded me that although some members suffer from cognitive difficulties, they are still intelligent. In fact, a study by Johnstone et al. (1995) suggests that intelligence is the least declined following TBI compared to other cognitive deficits. People suffering from TBI are still intelligent, and an effort should be made not to speak to them with any less respect than they deserve. I noticed that the staff and volunteers do an incredible job at this, facilitating the amazing atmosphere at Headway.

As I walked down the narrow hallway leading toward Headway Centre, I began wondering how such a large centre was located on the third floor of a mediocre sized building. After many discussions and lectures on the importance of brain health and rehabilitation after a TBI, my preconception of the Headway Centre was that it would be large, filled with members, and have a variety of staff and resources. My first step through the front door left me surprised and confused. Rather than the formal ‘treatment centre’ I had imagined, the entirety of Headway could almost be seen with one turn of the head, and had a more homely feeling.

After taking a few steps inside, I was greeted and introduced to all of the staff and members who were currently having breakfast. My earlier confusion remained with me as I found it difficult to completely differentiate all of the staff from those who had suffered a TBI. However, instead of seeing this as a problem, I now realize that it was better that I did not know. Stigma is something that can inhibit the well being of people suffering from TBI, whether it is intentional or unintentional (McLellan et al., 2010). My early inability to identify who was suffering from TBI allowed myself to more easily interact and have conversations with everyone as casually as possible.

During breakfast I had the opportunity to individually meet and talk with each member. From these conversations, their disabilities from TBI became more apparent. In particular, one of the members had difficulty producing comprehensible speech. From class discussions, my first thought was that it may be due to damage to Broca’s area, since he seemed to have no problems understanding what was being spoken to him.

Broca’s Area
via Wikipedia

However, this assumption was soon casted aside when this member wrote down a question for me on a piece of paper with little difficulty. This member, along with many other members who superficially only seemed to have emotional inhibitory difficulties made me realize how complicated it is to categorize the extent and symptoms of TBI. Things were not as clear cut as the literature made it seem to be. The range of cognitive functioning and how it affects one’s life was very humbling and was something that I would not have understood until my experience at Headway.

Later in the afternoon, it was finally time for bingo. At this point I was quite familiar with the members who decided to join the tournament, but I still felt a little nervous. I was uncertain of how fast I should be calling the numbers due to the wide range of cognitive abilities, and at the same time I was responsible for making sure one of the lower functioning members was correctly playing the game. By the end of it, the game was going very smoothly and I found out just how competitive bingo could be.

Overall my first experience at Headway was surprising and gave me much to think about. Headway was a small, but wonderful place that gave members a place to meet and hangout. This community brings a positive atmosphere that seemed to benefit the members greatly. From the response of the members and staff when it was time to say goodbyes, I think that I did a sufficient job in maintaining this atmosphere and can not wait to go back.