The purpose of “Brain Injury 2.0: Skilled Nursing Facility Edition” is to provide a specialized training program for care for individuals with brain injury in Maryland nursing homes. The project adapted the Brain Injury Association of Maryland’s three-unit curriculum (Brain Injury 101; TBI Behavior Management; and Brain Injury Nursing Care: Concepts and Strategies) as a basis for the training, with an additional unit on substance abuse and brain injury. The project addresses brain injury related needs and service gaps currently facing the nursing and direct care staff of Maryland nursing homes. This project will be a collaboration among The Beacon Institute, the Brain Injury Association of Maryland (BIAMD), and three skilled nursing facilities within the Communicare community of SNFs.
The project objectives are:
- Adapt training developed by BIAMD on brain injury care to a nursing home environment. In addition, acknowledging the frequent co-morbidity of substance abuse and TBI, the project will add a fourth component on substance use disorder and brain injury.
- Educate nursing home staff on the methods of caring for individuals with TBIs vs. other residents.
- Disseminate the training to all nursing homes in Maryland via a series of instructional videos.