Changing the face of traumatic brain injury
If Debbie LaSalle was having a bad day and got pulled over while driving, her eyes might be glazed over. She would have a hard time processing information, and she would lose her balance. Any officer would be doing his or her job and administer a field sobriety test. Which she’ d fail. But it’ s a traumatic brain injury— not alcohol or drug use— that’ s causing her symptoms. It’ s easy to confuse the two, and that’ s something LaSalle is trying to change.
“ I want to educate law enforcement officers so you know who has it,” says LaSalle, who worked for the Summit PD and was a member of Summit Local 55 for 17 years.“ I want to make people aware that traumatic brain injury is a silent epidemic. You don’ t know who has a brain injury, and every injury is different. If you look at me, you don’ t know what I’ ve been through.”
LaSalle’ s experience began on Jan. 28, 2000, when she was directing traffic at her morning post. The driver who hit her didn’ t see her until she had flipped on to the hood of his car. She fell to the ground, which caused her head injury, as well as a broken femur and ankle. She then had a stroke, which limited the use of her left side. LaSalle says she didn’ t have the reaction time that she felt she needed to do the job, so she retired after 17 years.
LaSalle, who is now the disability liaison for Retired Members Local 600, was the keynote speaker for the Brain Injury Alliance’ s fall family conference in New Brunswick last year, telling her story to brain injury survivors, families and caregivers.
The Alliance was started in 1981 by a group of concerned parents who all had children with brain injuries. Their mission is to support and advocate for individuals affected by brain injury and raise awareness through education and prevention. Since its inception, the Alliance has grown and now helps more than 10,000 New Jersey residents each year.
There are two types of brain injury: traumatic and acquired. Acquired brain injuries( ABI) are not hereditary, congenital or degenerative. They can be caused by strokes, encephalitis, aneurysms, lack of oxygen to the brain( from surgery, a drug overdose or near drowning), metabolic disorders, meningitis, or brain tumors. Approximately 795,000 Americans suffer an ABI each year.
Far greater numbers are associated with traumatic brain injury( TBI), the kind that affected LaSalle, as well as 2.5 million other Americans each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention( CDC), a TBI is a disruption to the normal function of the brain caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or by a penetrating head injury. TBIs can range from mild to severe. Everyone is at risk for a TBI, but particularly children and older adults. They’ re most often caused by falls, motor vehicle crashes, assaults and self-inflicted injuries.
The Alliance has a variety of programs and services designed to help individuals with brain injury to maximize their quality of life, to help minimize the consequences of all unavoidable brain injuries and to prevent all brain injuries that can be prevented. Programs help families coordinate care for children and adolescents with brain injuries and their families, as well as help adults identify services, budget their resources, and develop long-term goals. The Alliance also offers educational sessions tailored for survivors, professionals and the general public on topics like sports concussion, fall safety and strategies that can prevent a brain injury.
LaSalle says she wants to start with the basics: educating active and retired police officers about what a traumatic brain injury can look like. She also wants to educate brain injury survivors about what to tell an officer if they get pulled over.
“ I want to give officers something to go by, especially if they’ re handling domestic violence calls or watching kids play sports,” says LaSalle.“ If a concussion occurs, they’ ll have information to help them recognize it. A lot of officers are doing the PAL, or they’ re coaching or their own kids are playing sports. It might be a very minor injury, but it raises awareness that it might be something they need to get help for.”
The Alliance’ s helpline is available to New Jersey residents Monday through Friday, from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. at 800-669-4323. For more information, contact the Alliance at 732-745-0200 or info @ bianj. org. Visit bianj. org to learn more about programs and services.
For further information on the Alliance, you can also reach out to Debbie at 732-636-0299 or dlasalle @ njspba600. org. d
62 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ OCTOBER 2017