Did you know that March is Brain Injury Awareness Month? BrainMasters is committed to increasing brain awareness and has provided a link to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website that contains information we all should be familiar with when it comes to brain injury prevention and awareness. You will even find a quiz to test your knowledge of brain injury as well as many facts, figures and statistics.

Did you know that every year 1.7  million people will sustain a traumatic brain injury? Of those-

• 52,000 die,
• 275,000 are hospitalized, and
• 1.365 million, nearly 80%, are treated and released from an emergency department

Do you know the leading causes for brain injuries?

• Falls (35.2%);
• Motor vehicle – traffic (17.3%);
• Struck by/against events (16.5%); and
• Assaults (10%)

Do you know the 7  ways to avoid a head injury according to the CDC?

1. Wearing a seat belt every time you drive or ride in a motor vehicle.

2. Buckling your child in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt (according to the child’s height, weight, and age).

• Children should start using a booster seat when they outgrow their child safety seats (usually when they weigh about 40 pounds). They should continue to ride in a booster seat until the lap/shoulder belts in the car fit properly, typically when they are 4’9” tall

3.  Never driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

4. Wearing a helmet and making sure your children wear helmets.

5. Making living areas safer for seniors, by:

• Removing tripping hazards such as throw rugs and clutter in walkways;
• Using nonslip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors; Installing grab bars next to the toilet and in the tub or shower;Installing handrails on both sides of stairways;Improving lighting throughout the home; and
• Maintaining a regular physical activity program, if your doctor agrees, to improve lower body strength and balance.

6. Making living areas safer for children, by:

Installing window guards to keep young children from falling out of open windows; and

Using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs when young children are around.

7. Making sure the surface on your child’s playground is made of shock-absorbing material, such as hardwood mulch or sand.

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/BrainInjury/