Brain injuries can happen to anyone and the social, emotional and economic consequences for the survivors and their families can be devastating! Costs can be over-whelming. Enabled Financial Solutions Ltd can help recover some of those costs.

The Brain Injury Association of Canada notes that brain injury is the number one killer and disabler of people under the age of 44. Brain damage is caused by the collisions of the brain and the interior of the skull, as well as by rotational forces that occur within brain tissue. Leading causes of this affliction are:

• automobile and pedestrian accidents;
• sports injuries;
• cycling incidents;
• falls
• tumours
• aneurisms

Every case of brain injury is different but can affect the whole person. In one case the person is afflicted with tremors and occasionally has difficulty with speech: they are thinking one word but another word comes out; writing is kind of OK but spelling is impossible. In another case, the person slurs his words and sometimes is loud and has difficulty walking. This fellow has been accused of being a drunk, but he doesn’t drink. He is a really good person who received a brain injury in a nasty car accident several years ago.

Brain injury victims may look healthy and normal to the human eye but face challenges in cognitive, physical, behavioral and emotional areas.

Difficulties may be associated with:

• changes in personality
• lack of insight or awareness

There may be challenges with:

• memory
• planning
• problem solving

There may be an inability to understand or communicate adequately.

Responses may be slowed down yet the person may find that they have become impulsive and easily distracted. They may exhibit inappropriate behavior and have difficulty with balance and physical activity.

Every case is different and requires specific attention. Each case comes with its own price tag.

Currently there are no drugs or techniques to instantly cure brain injury. However, many medications are used to treat the symptoms and associated problems. Head injury victims may require treatment in areas such as:

• Aggression
• Anxiety
• Arousal
• autonomic regulation
• cognition
• conceptual disorder
• eating
• headaches
• mood movement
• obsessive-compulsions
• perception
• seizures
• sexual function
• sleep and speech-language

Some degree of recovery is common but the extent of the recovery is difficult to determine.

It is estimated that approximately 160,000 British Columbians suffer from some sort of brain injury. Many of these suffer from a marked restriction in an activity of daily living such as walking, speaking, dressing, mental functions, feeding, hearing, or vision. They are disabled and that carries a hefty price tag for things like drugs, treatments and lost income. Enabled Financial Solutions Limited has a 99.9% success rate at helping people claim their Disability Tax Credit (DTC). The DTC reduces the amount of federal income tax payable and can generate a refund ranging up to ten years, depending on client circumstances.

Enabled Financial encourages all Canadians, young and old to avoid head injuries. Always wear a helmet when cycling, rollerblading, skateboarding, ATVing, skiing, snowboarding, skating, playing ice hockey, and tobogganing. But if it is too late for talk and the costs are rising, turn to Enabled Financial Solutions Ltd. whose Motto is “Get Fi$cal About your Disability.”

Linda Chornobay, CSA, CEO, Enabled Financial Solutions Ltd., 550-2950 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC Phone (250) 514-2699, Toll Free 1-877-381-2610 Website: www.enabledfinancial.ca Email: linda@enabledfinancial.ca