WHAT IS THE SOUTH OKANAGAN SIMILKAMEEN BRAIN INJURY SOCIETY?
The South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society is a non-profit organization made up of brain injured people, family members, and professionals dedicated to assisting survivors and their families to achieve the greatest level of independence and quality of life.
We serve the entire South Okanagan Similkameen Region (Osoyoos, Oliver, Keremeos, Princeton, Okanagan Falls, Penticton & Summerland), British Columbia, Canada.
OUR VISION
“Until such time that all preventable brain injuries are prevented and the consequences of unpreventable brain injuries are reduced, individuals with these injuries have the resources and supports necessary to have a good quality of life.”
OUR MISSION
- To promote knowledge and understanding of the needs of persons with acquired brain injury.
- To provide prevention education to individuals, families and the community at large.
- To assist individuals with acquired brain injury to access community based supports and services in order to maximize the quality of their lives.
- To provide direct service in the form of case management and psychosocial programs.
OUR VALUES
In pursuing our mission we will live by the following values:
- CARING
- EXCELLENCE
- TEAMWORK
- INNOVATION
- INTEGRITY
- LEADERSHIP
- COMPASSION
SOSBIS HISTORY
The South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society was founded in 1989 when a group of brain injury survivors and family members met to support one another through a shared awareness and understanding of the needs of people with acquired brain injuries.
From these early beginnings as an informal support group SOSBIS has continued to grow both in its membership and in the range and scope of services provided to people with acquired brain injury.
Hiring of an Executive Director, initially on a part-time basis in 1995, quickly evolved into a full-time position. With the establishment of a full-time Executive Director the Society was able to direct its energies towards public awareness and fundraising for much needed programs. The maintenance of a dedicated Board of Directors has ensured stability for program development and service direction. The Board of Directors of SOSBIS reflects the diversity of professionals necessary in the continuum of services for people with acquired brain injury.
SOSBIS has concentrated its efforts on developing strong working relationships with other professionals, agency and government bodies in order to facilitate smooth access and coordination of services within its community. It is because the services of SOSBIS are rooted in the community and developed in response to the needs of its membership in conjunction with its service partners that the programs are effective in meeting the needs of people with acquired brain injury in Penticton and area.
The South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society follows the ten principles of “Whatever It Takes" model by Dr. Barry Willer.
Principle Number One
"No two individuals with acquired brain injury are alike."
Brains, characteristics, pre-injury histories all differ, as do the injuries themselves. Personalized programs, uniquely responsive to the particular individual’s needs, will be the norm.
Principle Number Two
"Skills are more likely to generalize when taught in the environment where they are to be used."
Generalizability will always be an issue after brain injury. Social skills taught in an environment of a hospital-like setting show the least generalization to the home environment. Social skills are generally learned in relation to specific others.
Principle Number Three
"Environments are easier to change than people."
After the acute phase of recovery, individuals with brain injury must make numerous adjustments, and when environmental manipulations can be made to compensate for a deficit, then the individual is left with more energy to address other issues.
Principle Number Four
"Community integration should be holistic."
The WIT model proposes that full consideration of community integration goals will require a more complete assessment of strength as well as deficits. Assessment of environmental deficits is as important as assessment of the individual’s deficits.
Principle Number Five
"Life is a place and train venture."
A place and train approach would identify the living situation that is the individual’s eventual goal, move in, and provide the supports necessary to make the living situation work.
Principle Number Six
"Natural supports last longer than professionals."
A combination of natural supports (e.g. Circle of Friends) and minimal supports by paid helpers is likely to be the best long-term solution to meet the needs of someone with life-long disabilities.
Principle Number Seven
"Interventions must not do more harm than good."
Examine each and every intervention (e.g. pharmacological treatment, institutional care, overzealous involvement) to determine whether potential harm outweighs the benefits.
Principle Number Eight
"The service system presents many of the barriers to community integration."
There is ignorance in the general population about brain injury. There is fragmentation of service responsibility and no single authority or source of services is responsible for all programs that address the needs of persons with TBI. The most important assistance needed to accomplish community integration is coordination of the services that are available and advocacy for those that are not.
Principle Number Nine
"Respect for the individual is paramount."
One indicator of respect among staff is the language used to describe consumers when only staff is present. Reference to an individual as a TBI represents labeling and contrasts sharply with respect for the individual involved.
Principle Number Ten
"Needs of individuals last a lifetime, so should their resources."
Services must be planned for the life of the individual or, at least, until they are no longer needed. Family members and the individual with disabilities should be well informed about, and fully involved in, the long-term consequences of using up treatment resources.