ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY NETWORK NEWS - ABIN-PA

ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY NETWORK NEWS

January 1, 2012--2012/#01--60th Issue

215-699-2139 or 800-516-8052 Fax: 215-699-5139

2275 Glenview Drive, Lansdale PA 19446-6082 info@abin- abin-

Happy New Year!

This month marks five years of newsletters, and in June, ABIN-PA will be 5 years old. The board is discussing a fifth anniversary dinner in King of Prussia--watch for details.

Under a special federal program, we expect to have Joyce Schaffer as a part-time administrative assistant for 9 months beginning January 9th. Cross your fingers!

With a $500 award from the Montgomery County Medical Society Foundation, we have ordered a new machine to fold brochures and newsletters.

Thank you to those who have responded to our 2011 Fall Appeal--your support is vital!

Thanks to Eugenia Laux of Berks County for entering ABIN-PA in the BonTon charity event and inviting her tax clients to donate $1 each. She will give printed ABIN-PA receipts for these small cash donations.

Thank you to everyone who returned their donation canister collections--we will do this again next summer with new photos.

Together we are making a difference!

Barb Dively

2012 ABIN-PA SCHEDULE

All are welcome--please join us! 1-3pm Saturday Newsletter Mailing-Lansdale: Jan 7, Feb 4, Mar 4, Mar 31, Apr 29, Jun 2, Jun 30, Aug 4, Sep 8, Sep 29, Oct 27, Dec 1. 2-4pm Sunday Board Meetings-Lansdale: Call-in using 218-862-1300, PC127105. Jan 15, Feb 12, Mar 11, Apr 15, May 8, Jun 10, Jul 8, Aug 12, Sep 16, Oct 14, Nov 4, Dec 16.

SAVE THESE DATES

March 18--Brain Injury Symposium at Mainline Unitarian Church in Devon.

May 2nd--Brain Injury Rally at the Capitol in Harrisburg--plan your

transportation now!

ACTION NEEDED

Safety in Youth Sports Act 101 of 2011 Refer your school to our website for the

sports concussion brochure (has info on wallet symptom cards) or order info

free from .

HB2024 on Insurance Disclosure of brain injury rehabilitation coverage

has 13 co-sponsors and needs to move out of the Insurance Committee.

Contact your representative through legis.state.pa.us

IN THIS ISSUE

PAGE

1. Editor, Schedule, Notices, Index 2. Donors, SB997 state brain injury board 3. ABIN-PA Elections, Mission, Resources 4. Homeopathic Help for Head Injuries 5. Act 150 Discrimination, Ad Rates 6. Hope for Joy, ABIN-PA Highlights 7. Waiver concerns and challenges 8. Your Message to ABIN-PA, Donations

?2012 Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania, Inc.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY AND DISTRIBUTE UNCHANGED AND AT NO CHARGE TO ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED.

ABIN-PA NETWORK NEWS--January 1, 2012--Page 2

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

NOVEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS Maria Markakis, Gordon/Kay Rowe, Lynette

Savoy

DECEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS Hugh Allen, BonTon, Belinda Crobak, John/ Barb Dively, Bob Drucker, Erikka Johnston, Sally Kneipp, Eugenia Laux, Mylan Classic,

Bob Neal, Dan Rohrback, Ron Seiler, Pat Strenk, Claudia Wynn (VNA)

JANUARY CONTRIBUTIONS Bob Drucker

DONATION CANISTER RETURNS Bob Neal--Costco, UPS Store Dan Rohrback--Marian's Baker, Port Deli, Primo's Hoagies, Little Dave's

Pat Strenk--Lucas Pizza

SENATE BILL 997 WOULD CREATE AN ADVISORY BOARD ON ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY

This bill would create a permanent Advisory Board on Acquired Brain Injury in the Department of Health where the current temporary Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Board is located.

Unfortunately, this bill addresses only traumatic brain injury. A re-design of the bill is necessary to include the needs of those with acquired brain injury. Also, this bill restricts the State Action Plan to information and education, thereby preventing a variety of activities including so many that have brought change in other states.

Under this bill, only survivors of traumatic brain injury and their family members are included on this Board.

Also, the Board would have only two powers, both limited to traumatic brain injury:

1) To advise the Governor and the departments represented on the advisory board in the determination of services and support needs of individuals with traumatic brain injury and the implementation of services to those individuals and their families.

2) To make recommendations regarding future activities to be placed in the traumatic brain injury State Action Plan with the goal of improving access to traumatic brain injury services in this Commonwealth through information and education.

To read this bill, go to legis.state.pa.us, click on "Bill" in the upper right hand corner, type "SB997" and then click "GO". On April 21, 2011, this bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare and no further action has been taken.

?2012 Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania, Inc.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY AND DISTRIBUTE UNCHANGED AND AT NO CHARGE TO ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED.

ABIN-PA NETWORK NEWS--January 1, 2012--Page 3

ABIN-PA 2012 ELECTIONS

Congratulations to our new and returning Board Members as well as our Officers.

OFFICERS FOR 2012

President Vice-President Treasurer Secretary

Barbara Dively Barry Childress Megan Herlihy Erikka Johnston

DIRECTORS:

Terms ending December 2012 Barry Childress Erikka Johnston Maria Markakis

Madelaine Sayko Terms ending December 2013

Barbara Dively Daniel Rohrback, Jr.

Megan Herlihy Terms ending December 2014

Pat Strenk Maria Martin George Matwiejczyk

ABIN-PA's MISSION

ABIN-PA is dedicated to increasing public awareness about acquired brain injury and to providing support, education, information, advocacy and other services for individuals with acquired brain injury and their families.

RESOURCES

(PDO = "PA Department of")

Brain Injury Help Line--PDO Health 1-866-412-4755

Brain Injury InfoLine--ABIN-PA 1-800-516-8052

Brain Injury Resource Line--BIAPA 1-866-635-7097

Brain STEPS--school children--BIAPA 1-724-944-6542

Client Assistance Program for OVR & CIL's 1-888-745-2357 Consumer Protection--PA Atty. General

1-800-441-2555 Crime Victims--pbpp.state.pa.us

1-800-563-6399 and 1-800-233-2339 Defense & Veterans Brain Injury 1-814-255-8601 Disability Rights Network 1-800-692-7443

Domestic Violence Hotline--Nat'l 1-800-799-7233

Head Injury Program--PDO Health 1-717-772-2762

Health Law Project--Public benefits 1-800-274-3258

Managed Care--Health Insurance 1-888-466-2787 PDO Health

1-877-881-6388 PDO Insurance Parent to Parent - Mentoring

1-8880727-2706 Resources for Daily Living--Inglis

Self-Determination Housing Project

1-877-550-7347 Special Ed Consult Line--PDO Educ.

1-800-879-2301 National Volunteer Programs

Voting Issues--PDO State

1-877-868-3772 Waiver Enrollment--1-877-5504227 Waiver Help Line--PDO Public Welfare

1-800-757-5042

?2012 Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania, Inc.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY AND DISTRIBUTE UNCHANGED AND AT NO CHARGE TO ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED.

ABIN-PA NETWORK NEWS--January 1, 2012--Page 4

HOMEOPATHIC HELP FOR HEAD INJURIES

by Larry Malerba, D.O., DHt

This article is excerpted by permission from Dr. Malerba and the National Center for Homeopathy. This material originally appeared in a blog, then in the July/August 2011 issue of Dynamic Living Magazine (), and then in the Autumn 2011 issue of Homeopathy Today, National Center for Homeopathy, .

......The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 300,000 sportsrelated traumatic brain injuries in the U.S. each year. And this doesn't even take into account motor vehicle accidents and military-related trauma.

Conventional care: just rest & observe It is generally understood that there is no truly effective conventional treatment for mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), also known as concussion......The standard approach is limited to rest, symptomatic relief such as analgesics for headache, and continued observation after concussion to ensure that the condition of the patient does not deteriorate.....Unless a head injury involves detectable physical damage to the skull or brain, in which case surgery may be indicated, there is little else that standard medicine has to offer.

Homeopathic care: effective for trauma Any homeopathic practitioner, on the other hand, knows that not only is there very effective treatment for the acute phase of concussion but also for the long-term consequences of head trauma.....thousands of practitioners have successfully used homeopathy to treat millions of patients over the past two hundred years. I have personally witnessed the tangible results from the homeopathic treatment of acute and chronic effects of head injury many times in my own medical practice.

First line of defense Clinical experience indicates that homeopathic medicines are quite effective in all stages of concussion and post-concussion syndrome. The homeopathic medicine, Arnica Montana, is well known for its rapid and powerful healing capacity in many cases of physical trauma. Some surgeons prescribe it for their patients post-operatively and some sports teams use it routinely when athletes are injured. Arnica can minimize, stop, and reverse bleeding, swelling, and the effects of blunt trauma

and can even be of benefit for internal injuries, which are often present with concussion.

Given that there is no other comparable treatment option, homeopathy should be used as the first line of defense in all head injury cases. Arnica should be stocked in all emergency departments, doctors' clinics, military facilities, schools, workplaces, home medicine cabinets, and first-aid kits. Since side effects are virtually nonexistent, any responsible adult can use Arnica safely and effectively.

...........Although Arnica is the first line of defense and can be used without hesitation within seconds or minutes after a head injury, it is not the only homeopathic medicine suited for such situations. ..........Other homeopathic medicines, however, require greater knowledge and experience to use and should therefore be taken under the supervision of a professional. The use of these other medicines often comes into play in later stages--days, weeks, months, or even years after the original injury occurred--and depends upon a careful evaluation of the symptom picture of the injured person......[see Homeopathy Today.]

Resources: JoAnn Jarvis, RN, DHM, Brain Jolt: A Life

Renewed After Traumatic Brain Injury, Second Edition with Homeopathic Appendix, 2011. Chapman, E, Weintraub, R, Milburn, M, et al., "Homeopathic Treatment of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial," Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 14,6, Dec, 1999, 521542.

About the Author:

Larry Malerba, DO, DHt, is the author of Green Medicine: Challenging the Assumptions of Conventional Health Care. Dr. Malerba is a featured author at Natural News and a regular contributor to Huffington Post. He is board certified in Homeotherapeutics and Clinical Assistant Professor at New York Medical College. He is past president of the Homeopathic Medical Society of the State of New York. Dr. Malerba has a private practice in Upstate New York. Visit .

?2012 Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania, Inc.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY AND DISTRIBUTE UNCHANGED AND AT NO CHARGE TO ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED.

ABIN-PA NETWORK NEWS--January 1, 2012--Page 5

NO ACCESS TO ACT 150 ATTENDANT CARE FOR THOSE

WITH GUARDIANS

by Melanie Vadzemnieks

What is a brain injured patient to do if they are not eligible for Pennsylvania waiver programs but need sliding scale payments?

Most social workers answer quickly with "PA Act 150." However, the wording for eligibility for PA Act 150 states that the patient "must be able to direct his/her own level of care." For many with a brain injury, that capability often takes months, if not years, to regain.

My husband suffered an acquired brain injury in a car accident in June, 2011. After months of hospitalization, he returned home to be cared for by me and our two children, ages 13 and 11.

We need help in taking care of him as he is wheelchair bound, incontinent, and unable to use his left arm or hand. However, my husband made too much money to qualify for any state waiver program, or the Pennsylvania Head Injury Program.

Our attempts to be enrolled in the PA Act 150 Program have been futile, despite my guardianship over my husband. We have had to hire private pay caregivers at a cost that exceeds my husbands' monthly SSDI payment. We will only be able to do this for a short amount of time before our savings are exhausted.

Please contact your state legislator and ask him or her to consider revising the PA Act 150 language to include brain injured persons. The program should include all types of injuries, including stroke and brain injured patients who have guardians.

2012 NEWSLETTER & WEB ADS

Reach 1,042 subscribers in your target market while supporting ABIN-PA. You also benefit from monthly distribution of over 300 additional copies by subscribers and can use each issue to promote your services.

Your ad will remain visible in our web archives and a link on our homepage is available. Ads run through December 2012. Email bdively@abin- for a contract. JPG of ad required. Dark copy extra.

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?2012 Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania, Inc.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY AND DISTRIBUTE UNCHANGED AND AT NO CHARGE TO ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED.

ABIN-PA NETWORK NEWS--January 1, 2012--Page 6

HOPE FOR JOY

By Vance Stith

I'd like to share a story with you about a young woman (my sister) who through no fault of her own, sustained severe head injuries as the result of an automobile accident. Joy is funded for services at Success Rehabilitation, Inc. (Success) through the OBRA Waiver. This Waiver is implemented through the Office of Long Term Living in the Department of Public Welfare.

Joy received extensive treatment at a local hospital and was then connected with Success in Quakertown PA for rehabilitation. Success is a 30 bed CARF accredited personal care home specifically designed for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Success provides Joy with a level of services that have greatly enhanced her quality of life and her ability to function as a whole person. She receives services that include medical care, psychological evaluation, physical therapy, recreational activities, transportation to and from appointments, job training, and life skill training, and she interacts with others who have similar experiences. She enjoys going shopping, going to see movies, and eating out at local restaurants. Over the last few years, Joy has come a long way to becoming a happy young woman. The physical and psychological improvements that Joy has made are nothing short of miraculous and are due to the excellent care, specialized training and dedication of the staff at Success. The true testament of her progress can best be witnessed by her smile and gleam in her eyes.

There have been times when we talk and Joy would express her desire to drive, have an apartment of her own, get a job and just be normal. I explain to her that I wish all those things for her too but I try to reinforce the positives that she has come such a long way because of the support and care that Success has provided and the love and support of her family. Although no one knows what the future holds, look how far she has come!

As a family, we rest a lot easier knowing that Joy is receiving a level of care and expertise necessary to live a fulfilling life. It troubles me to hear of the potential for the discontinuation of residential services at Success [for those on the OBRA Waiver]. Our hope for Joy is that these services provided by Success can continue because they are essential and they work.

RECENT ABIN-PA HIGHLIGHTS

After our December Board meeting, Maria Markakis prepared our salmon and salad in the Greek way and all who attended brought out their wonderful treats--such a happy time!

A successful grant proposal by A Woman's Place includes $5,000 in funding for ABIN-PA. The Montgomery County Medical Society Foundation awarded ABIN-PA $500 to purchase a new folding machine for brochures and newsletters (which has been ordered)! The Arc of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers Association submitted grant proposals to the Developmental Disability Council which include collaboration with us.

We provided training to the Abington Visiting Nurse Association and received a DVD for our website. We presented to the Montgomery County MH/MR/ID Board thanks to an invitation by Pedro Geraldino. Peacful Living and the SE PA Regional CST have invited us to speak!

?2012 Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania, Inc.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY AND DISTRIBUTE UNCHANGED AND AT NO CHARGE TO ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED.

ABIN-PA NETWORK NEWS--January 1, 2012--Page 7

WAIVER CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES

By Barb Dively

Events which began in June 2010 have brought Compensation or legal settlements?

various changes and concerns for individuals on the COMMCARE (CW), Independence (IW), and OBRA (OW) Waivers, their families, their providers,

and the individuals blocked from application.

Would this force waiver clients into nursing homes?

That is uncertain because nursing homes cannot be forced to accept any particular client. Historically, nursing homes have not wanted

In June 2010, when the CW Renewal application complex, awake, brain injury applicants, and in

was sent in by the Office of Long Term Living

fact there are many sad stories on the decline of

Bureau of Individual Supports to the Centers for survivors placed in nursing homes where services

Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a CMS were not adequate. Brain injury survivors with

workplan was imposed and must be fulfilled by

difficult behaviors also pose a risk to themselves

OLTL before any new CW slots can be approved. and others in a nursing home with frail elderly

New admissions to the OBRA Waiver stopped several years ago except for persons transitioning

residents when there is no programming for brain injury rehabilitation.

out of nursing homes.

Is there a nursing home entitlement for those who

In September of 2011, the definition of Community Integration (CI) was changed to one-on-one 13

week skill-training which could only be renewed once. This schedule and level of intensity do not suit brain injury survivors. In addition, CI had

covered a broader range of services. Fortunately, "structured day habilitation" (SDR) replaced CI on the OW and CW. Unfortunately, SDR has not been

added to the IW so individuals requiring SDR may

are found Nursing Facility Clinically Eligible (NFCE)

by an Area Agency on Aging as part of their waiver application? If so, does the state have a duty to create regulations and rates that will

create a sufficient willing pool of competent nursing home providers to serve this population? After all, those with mental illness or intellectual

disabilities are not barred from services due to difficult behaviors resulting from their disability.

be discharged from IW providers in March 2012. Maximus, the Independent Enrollment Broker for

In September 2011, OLTL also announced that CW and OW could only be used in settings of 8 beds

or less. This change in bed limits affects 12 of the 14 brain injury rehabilitation waiver providers serving about 125 individuals. Providers will be

paid for services up through June 30, 2014, but the state is requiring business plans for new 8 bed facilities for these waiver clients to move into by

June of 2014. No transition funding or incentives will be provided by the state. Providers that have

endured months of missed payments, service rate decreases, no cost of living increase in rates for 10

all waivers is directing some brain injury survivors

into the IW, but some Area Agencies on Aging are denying NFCE status if there is no mobility

problem. We must insist that brain injury is a physical injury that produces tragic limitations in carrying out the activities of daily living, even

when the physical capacity for these activities is present. Maximus is now referring individuals to their county MH/MR/ID administration, but

survivors do not qualify for mental health or mental retardation services. They may qualify for jail or South Mountain Restoration Center.

years, uncertain and ever changing service

A drifting smoking floating landscape of ever

definitions/rates/bed limits, are now being asked changing complexity has replaced the prior

to risk their financial stability by preparing a

practical can-do mindset. Now, there is a mileau

second set of facilities for current clients. Wouldn't of hopelessness and helplessness which cries out

it be easier for providers to merely stop serving

for leadership. "Where there is no vision, the

waiver clients if they have a waiting list of clients people perish," so we must be steadfast in

with other funding sources such as Workers'

standing up for what is right.

?2012 Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania, Inc.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY AND DISTRIBUTE UNCHANGED AND AT NO CHARGE TO ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED.

YOUR MESSAGE TO ABIN-PA--January 1, 2012

Date:________Name:__________________________Phone:_______________Need a call?___

Street:____________________________Apt:_____City:________________State:___Zip:________

County:______________________Survivor:___ Family:___ Other:___ Change of Address?___

Email:________________________________________________ Change to email delivery?___

Apartment or Business Name:_______________________________ United Way: #45813?___

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Donation to ABIN-PA: Sending My Check #_______ for $_______. Employer Match____. In Memory Of:__________________________ Family contact person:_____________________ In Honor Of:________________________________________________________________________ Address for Notice:_________________________________________________________Apt:____ City:______________________________State:___Zip:______Other:_________________________

Make check out to ABIN-PA and mail to: ABIN-PA, 2275 Glenview Drive, Lansdale PA 19446.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

YOUR MESSAGE

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABIN-PA is a 501(c)(3) Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation. Contributions are tax deductible.

The official registration and financial information of the Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania, Inc., may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1 (800) 732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY NETWORK OF PENNSYLVANIA, INC. 2275 Glenview Drive Lansdale PA 19446-6082

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID

LANSDALE PA PERMIT NO. 613

?2012 Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania, Inc.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY AND DISTRIBUTE UNCHANGED AND AT NO CHARGE TO ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED.

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