INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Hospital offers many support groups for families and patients dealing with many different types of severe injuries. One of the most popular support groups is the Jim Thorpe Brain Injury Education and Support Group, which has been active since 2000.

Jane Kurek, clinical psychologist, and Karen Bryan, clinical manager, who facilitate the support group, are always trying to think of new ideas, speakers, topics and activities to make the group more interesting and relevant to survivors and their families.

Each year, the group hosts a variety of speakers and events. Speakers come and meet with new patients and families and address a number of issues. The support and guidance they give new patients help them cope because they can see how other survivors have overcome obstacles.

“This group is an opportunity for survivors to give and receive mutual support,” says Bryan. “Here they can share stories and get the validation they really need.”

Bryan remembers the parents of a young man who nearly lost his life, but pulled through at INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe.

“To see how his parents have become such backers of our support group is so amazing,” Bryan says. “They come and talk with the parents of adolescents going through the same situations. They are able to give extra support, from someone who has actually walked in their shoes.”

Kurek believes that often the reality of the consequences of brain injury on day-to-day activities doesn’t really set in until patients return home. They frequently leave believing that once they return home everything will be OK. Only weeks or months later do they realize that life after brain injury may never return to “normal.”

Kurek says that it’s around that time when patients and families begin to need the help of a support group. Family members come to learn how to cope with their changing family member. Survivors also need help in dealing with family members who unrealistically expect them to “get over it.” Couples go to talk about the ways brain injury changes the relationship – all too often from one of partner to caretaker.

“It’s within the support group that people can talk freely about their frustrations and their accomplishments and be understood,” Kurek says. “Friends and family may be sympathetic, but may not fully understand the magnitude of the change that has taken place.”

Bryan feels that support groups are great. It is a comfort to know that there are people in the rehabilitation profession to talk to if needed.

“One lady who had been an accountant and now is struggling with her math enjoys coming in twice a month and having me check her math for her,” said Bryan. “Sometimes, that kind of contact gives them an anchor in an occasionally rough world.”

“I love the opportunity I get to keep in touch and see how much patients have improved since they were discharged,” says Kurek. “But, it’s also good for someone who is still recovering to see others who are several or many years post-injury and have returned to school, found new careers, or married and started families. It gives them hope in their own ability to have a fulfilling life. We laugh together and sometimes cry together – but we always learn more from each other about living with brain injury.”

Other support groups at INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe include a general rehabilitation support group, a stroke support group, a newly formed Parkinson’s support group and a community spinal cord injury support group.

Reaching Out a Caring Hand
Because brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability among individuals ages 45 and younger in Oklahoma, INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe has the most comprehensive adolescent and adult brain injury program in the region. An acquired brain injury affects not only the survivor, but also the family – with alterations in physical, cognitive, behavioral and psychosocial functioning. Rehabilitation of the individual who sustains a brain injury is a learning process that requires a coordinated interdisciplinary treatment approach. The inpatient brain injury program at INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe includes a designated brain injury team. This team encompasses specialized knowledge, skills and experience to maximize patients’ potential for recovery, so they can achieve their highest levels of independence. They are a gathering of the best and brightest in rehabilitation.

The brain injury rehabilitation program reaches beyond inpatient care. That’s why our commitment to our patients and their support system remains long after they leave our hospital. We know patients may encounter new challenges as they re-enter their communities. Our comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation programs offer a variety of resources and followup for patients to help with obstacles that may surface physically, socially, emotionally or cognitively. Continuing education, support groups and much more are available to help patients continue to maximize their independence. With INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe, patients truly benefit from seamless transitions from one level of care to another.

INTEGRIS Health 3300 N.W. Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 (405) 949-3011 | HealthLine: (888) 951-2277