The Brain & Mind Matters Community Fund
New mobile app aids brain-injury recovery
In 2014, some years after a bike accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury, Rob Staffen, his wife Sharon and their three children: Julia, Matt, and Candra decided to start a fund to support local brain injury and mental health programs and projects.
Today, Rob and his family are proud to share the news that the Brain & Mind Matters Community Fund has grown enough it was able to help launch an important new tool for others recovering from traumatic brain injury.
MyBrainPacer™ App is part of a toolkit that helps concussion patients self-manage their condition. Too often, concussion patients either withdraw from activity altogether, or push themselves too hard. Both actions delay recovery. What patients needed was a way to manage their own activity levels during recovery. The new MyBrainPacer™ App does exactly this, and was developed at the St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Outpatient Program at Parkwood Institute.
It uses a point system, much like those used by dieters to monitor food choices, to assign values to tasks like driving, grocery shopping, screen use and exercise. It allows patients to be active enough to achieve a steady recovery, without overdoing it.
“Without the team at St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be where I am today,” says Rob. “We’re thrilled the BAMM Community Fund was able to support this important work, bringing Parkwood expertise to patients around the world. We’re so grateful to everyone for supporting the fund. Thank you!”
