A new study by UVic researchers hopes to help health services improve for unhoused brain injury survivors facing mental health and substance use issues.
This study coincides with June being Brain Injury Awareness Month in Canada, which was started as a way to increase awareness of the challenges faced by people living with brain injuries.
In the study, researchers examine how health care is delivered to unhoused brain injury survivors with mental health and substance use conditions, and how it can improve.
The researchers involved brought together the experiences of 163 community stakeholders, which included individuals with lived experience of brain injury and homelessness, healthcare professionals and service providers.
“Many people experiencing homelessness face overlapping challenges associated with brain injury, mental health and substance use, yet our health care system is not designed to treat these conditions together,” said Cole J. Kennedy, UVic Clinical Neuropsychology PhD student and study lead author.
“Through this study, we’ve captured some of the challenges that people who are homeless and living with brain injuries often face and it is through their insights that we put forward these recommendations for change.”
What is a brain injury?
In British Columbia, a brain injury is defined as any damage to the brain that occurs after birth, not caused by a congenital or degenerative disease.
This includes both traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) caused by external forces like blows or jolts to the head, and non-traumatic brain injuries caused by internal factors like stroke or heart attack.
Substance use can cause non-traumatic brain injuries by slowing the flow of oxygen to the brain, or it can cause TBIs when someone loses their mobility, falls and hits their head.
Either type of brain injury can lead to temporary or permanent impairments in cognitive, physical and psychosocial functions.
What the study found
The study identified six key, actionable priorities to improve health care services for those in the unhoused community with brain injuries:
- Improve access to accessible and affordable supportive housing that is tailored to the needs of people with brain injuries, including sensory sensitivities and mobility challenges
- Provide more resources for service providers such as specialized training and more staff to support people with complex needs
- Provide needs-based services that promote quality of life that go beyond basic care to support independence and dignity
- Improve upon communication between providers such as health and housing services
- Build more long-term, integrated care, because brain injuries are lifelong conditions that require sustained support
- Improve public education to reduce stigma such as raising awareness to reduce discrimination and improve access to care
Furthermore, five research priorities were outlined, which include evaluating existing programs, developing better diagnostic tools and reducing the risk of brain injuries and homelessness.
The overarching research for which this study was conducted is called BC Consensus on Brain Injury.
The mandate of this initiative is to gather the perspectives and ideas on the differing intersections of brain injuries and how to treat them, with support and funding from the BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and the Vancouver Foundation .
“This research was possible because people living with brain injuries and experiencing homelessness were engaged and supported to be part of a dialogue that we hope will lead to better diagnosis, treatment and opportunities for housing and health care,” said Kennedy.
Once the study is complete, its actionables are in the hands of legislators and those within the Ministry of Health and Addictions to implement.
