CAN On the Road: Cultivating Concussion Awareness Through National Events
It’s been a busy spring and early summer for Concussion Awareness Now (CAN)! Over the last two months, we’ve crisscrossed the United States to attend two national events, all with the goal of continuing to spread the word about concussion awareness and treatment.
This kind of advocacy is made possible by our CAN Coalition—a group of nearly 20 partner associations that work together to determine guidelines for concussion care, advocate for patients, and work with communities who are vulnerable to concussions. These partners make it possible for us to fulfill our mission: to reshape how concussion is viewed so that people can get the care they need.
Learn a little more about the recent conferences we attended below:
Bridging the gap between older adults and concussion awareness: CAN at Age + Action
In early May, Concussion Awareness Now Project Director Gina Peattie traveled to Arlington, Virginia to take part in the National Council on Aging’s Age + Action conference. This event brings together professionals across the aging services field for networking, professional development, and community building.
The National Council of Aging (NCOA) has been in operation since 1950, making life better for Americans as they age. One of NCOA’s key focus areas is Healthy Living and making sure seniors and those who work with and take care of them have the information they need on illness prevention, physical health, and behavioral health. The connection between advocating for older adults and concussion awareness is strong, as older adults are more susceptible to falls, which are the leading cause of concussion.
CAN Project Director Gina Peattie with National Council on Aging Program Specialist Angela
Bonham at the Age + Action Conference in Arlington, Virginia
During the two-day conference, we had the opportunity to chat with attendees at our CAN booth, many of whom were medical professionals, senior center workers, caregivers, and more. We also had a great conversation with NCOA Program Specialist Angela Bonham, who’s also the Council’s representative on the CAN Coalition. We chatted about the work NCOA is doing around falls prevention and how we can continue working together to bridge the gap in awareness between falls prevention and concussions.
“Many attendees shared that when older adults and caregivers think about falls prevention, they typically think about preventing broken bones,” Gina says. “And yet we know that falls are the #1 cause of concussions. In this age demographic, concussions simply aren’t talked about enough, and we’re trying to change that.”
One conversation at a time, we talked with conference attendees about knowing the symptoms of a concussion, what actions to take to reduce falls and concussions, and what actions need to be taken if someone does fall and hit their head. To elevate the conversation about the connection between falls and concussion, CAN and NCOA collaborated to create a new educational resource, Get the Facts on Concussions + Falls, which was shared at the CAN exhibitor booth with attendees. We also signed many people up to be CAN Champions to get additional resources and insights from us.
We’re looking forward to our continued partnership with NCOA, including an event in September to coincide with their Falls Prevention Week initiative.
Getting healthcare professionals the concussion resources they need: CAN at NNS
After joining NCOA for their conference, we traveled to San Francisco, California earlier this month to attend the annual National Neurotrauma Society Symposium (NNS). NNS co-hosted the meeting with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care.
Since its inception, the NNS symposia have brought together scientists, clinicians, and healthcare providers dedicated to the study of neurotrauma and to translating knowledge generated by research into improved patient care. It was a great opportunity to learn about the most up-to-date research and findings related to traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury—and visit the Golden Gate Bridge, of course!
CAN Project Director Gina Peattie with Grace Griesbach, PhD., CNS National Director of Clinical Research and CAN NNS representative at the NNS Symposium in San Francisco, California
“This has always been a great event for CAN to be a part of,” says Gina, who talked with numerous conference-goers at the CAN booth over the span of three days. “And it’s a great audience for us to talk about the strides CAN is making when it comes to making concussion resources and research available for healthcare professionals. We’ve done a lot of work when it comes to launching resources for the general population—now we’re making sure we have information for the people who are treating people with concussions.”
Gina is talking about our new Healthcare professionals (HCP) resource hub, which will be an extension of the current CAN site and will be launched in the coming weeks. This all-in-one resource will feature research and information from members of the CAN Coalition, all broken down by stage of a concussion patient’s journey—from assessment and diagnosis to ongoing care. We’ll certainly be talking more about the site once it’s launched, so stay tuned!
Similar to the NCOA conference, we signed up many new CAN Champions, gave out plenty of “melon” swag, and learned that conference attendees love spinning our prize wheel at the booth. Attendees had a chance to learn more about CAN’s work, and receive giveaways like melon-themed pens, watermelon candies and stress balls. A huge thank you to Grace Griesbach, PhD., National Director of Research for CNS, and CAN representative from NNS who visited us at the CAN booth for the event.
More advocacy and awareness work is in store for the summer and the rest of the year. To stay up-to-date on what CAN is up to, head to our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages. And, if you know of anyone who should become a CAN Champion, tell them to head to this link.