NCC NEWS AND UPDATES

Autumn at Neuro Community has been busy and delicious! Each month, our caregiver Affinity group meets up virtually for support, check ins, and recently… recipe exchanges. Our caregivers had a wealth of seasonal recipes to share including soups, comfort foods, and festive holiday treats. In addition to the Affinity group recipes, we’ve started a quarterly ‘Open Kitchen’ event aimed at warrior and caregiver cooking demonstrations. This ‘Pumpkin Pie drink’ shared by IP Caregiver, Shannon R., was a big hit at both events. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Drink

Ingredients:
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
4 cups 2% milk, room temperature (or it will curdle)
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a crockpot. Place lid on and cook on high for 3 hours. Stir periodically.

If you have any questions, reach out to your case manager or contact Jenny at Jabramson@neurocc.com

TBI / Veteran Related Trainings

**Please note these trainings are intended to support your professional development, but are not required by NCC. Therefore, the registration fee and time spent participating in these external webinars may not be billed to NCC.
Tuesday, November 2: Navigating Conversations around Grief and the Holidays
Presented by TAPS Institute for Hope and Healing
12pm ET. CEUs available. Free.
Details and registration found here.

Wednesday, November 3: Disparities In Alzheimer’s Disease
Presented by the American Society on Aging
10am PT. CEUs available. Free.
Details and registration found here.

Thursday, November 4 – 6: Forging Ahead — Together Towards Tomorrow Virtual Conference
Presented by the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina
Daily hours vary. CEUs available. $25 – $200.
Details and registration found here.

Tuesday, November 9: COVID-19 as a Cause of Acquired Brain Injury: Lessons from Current Research and Advanced Neuroimaging
Presented by the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona
11am PT. CEUs available. Free.
Details and registration found here.

Wednesday, November 10: Caring For Those Who Care: Meeting The Needs Of African American And Black Family Caregivers
Presented by the American Society on Aging
11am PT. CEUs available. Free.
Details and registration found here.

Wednesday, November 10: Psychosocial And Functional Predictors Of Depression And Anxiety Symptoms In Veterans And Service Members With TBI
Presented by the Brain Injury Association of America
3pm ET. CEUs available. $50.
Details and registration found here.

Wednesday, November 10: Destigmatizing Help-Seeking For Military Couples
Presented by the Military Family Learning Network
11am ET. CEUs available. Free.
Details and registration found here.

Wednesday, November 17: PTSD and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Presented by PTSD Consultation Program: Lecture Series
2pm ET. CEUs available. Free.
Details and registration found here.

Thursday, November 18: Helping Older Adults Embrace Technology
Presented by the American Society on Aging
10am PT. CEUs available. Free.
Details and registration found here.

Wednesday, November 30: Interactive Self-Care Workshop For Military & Veteran TBI Caregivers
Presented by the Military Family Learning Network
11am ET. CEUs available. Free.
Details and registration found here.

On Demand: 5 Main Symptoms of Brain Injury and Why They Are so Difficult to Resolve
Presented by North Dakota Brain Injury Network
Recording available here. (Scroll down for archived webinars)

On Demand: Brain Injury and Behavioral Health: Informing Best Practice: A six-part webinar series for Behavioral Health Professionals
Presented by Craig Hospital
Recordings available here.

Resource Recommendation:

Veterans for Vets / Winter Disc Golf

Veterans for Vets is a new event designed to meet three goals. First, it gives disc golfers a chance to play in an organized event during the winter months. Second, it provides an awesome environment for a disc golfer without any tournament experience to play in an organized event. Finally, it provides an opportunity for a local disc golf community to raise money that gets returned to that same community to organizations tasked with serving veterans!

Further details can be found on their website.

Creative Arts Corner:

My Melody by Tiera R.

Thank you for helping me
to clear the debris of trauma
to find my voice
I was silenced
brain attacked
artery severed
that bilateral cerebellum stroke robbed me.

My thoughts staggered
Words were slurred
Breathing stifled
Memory still wants to remember
But I am called to speak
Summoned to write
because my words are music to the survivor’s ear

WWP IP thank you.
You’ve continued to pour into my cup
and now I can pour into the next.
Creative Writing soothes my soul
Horseback riding has given me wings.
I’ve found my tribe with you all
I’ve gained insight and inspiration
I am now able to say what’s on my heart freely and unapologetically
That’s me

I heard you.
“Don’t pass up the baton
Pick up the mic!”
I hear the linguistic melody
It is my body’s language
It is my sweet voice
The world needs to hear the bass in my heart
Feel my purpose
Hear my why
My voice is about to free some people.

Artist bio:

Tiera has been in the Independence Program since 2019. She has been involved in individual and group creative writing sessions, helped lead VIP Open Mic events, and led a warrior workshop on “Creating a Vision Board” in 2021.

Creative Arts Therapist: Several of our warriors have been participating in creative arts sessions online once a week with writing instructor Anne Alper. Sessions focus on guided writing exercises with theme prompts to develop writing skills and structured writing practice.

Ms. Alper has a Master’s in Education and Counseling, is certified through the Amherst writers and Artist Foundation, and completed a 2 year program in California for expressive arts.