The Eastern Panhandle TBI Support Group held its first annual Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Fair in Shepherdstown, West Virginia this month – offering survivors of head injuries, their families, and their friends a wealth of activities and information.
The Eastern Panhandle TBI Support Group serves two purposes: providing support and services to the survivors of brain injuries and educating the public about traumatic brain injuries and the needs of the survivors of head trauma. In addition, the group advocates for TBI survivors in the West Virginia legislature to make sure the needs of these citizens are heard by lawmakers. The group holds regular meetings for both those living with traumatic brain injuries as well as their caregivers – offering them advice, support, and answers to their most common questions.
The TBI Awareness fair was attended by a number of people in the community, as well as related head injury groups from around the state, such as the Brain Injury Association of West Virginia Inc., a non-profit company out of Charleston, and the West Virginia University Center for Excellence in Disabilities. In addition, the fair was attended by a representative from the Social Security Administration who answered questions regarding disability benefits.
The co-organizer of the fair and the group as a whole, Delia Plowden, thanked all of the participates. She herself became involved in the group after her son, now 27, was involved in an accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury.
The Eastern Panhandle Traumatic Brain Injury Support Group meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Berkeley Senior Center at 6:30 in the evening.