Aging and Brain Injury: Partnerships, Programs, and Prevention

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K5: Deep Dive: Aging and Brain Injury: Partnerships, Programs, and Prevention

According to the CDC, older adults are more likely to be hospitalized when sustaining a TBI compared to all other age groups, with the leading cause of brain injury due to falls. Additionally, TBI may be missed or misdiagnosed in older adults because symptoms of TBI overlap with other medical conditions that are common among older adults, such as dementia. Lastly, and also significant, is the fact that an existing TBI may predispose individuals to other co-occurring conditions over a life span. Recognizing these complexities, Older Americans Act funds are now able to be used for TBI screening after a fall has occurred. The challenges of serving and supporting older individuals with brain injury calls for a multi-system approach. Collaboration across and among service agencies produces better outcomes for the individuals served. This session will focus on the importance of identifying brain injury and factors and tools for better outcomes.

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Identify partnerships and advocacy efforts at the national and local level.
Discuss the importance of identifying brain injury within the aging community and screening tools to utilize.
Provide resources, state initiatives, and programs that successfully provide address brain injury community based supports.

Stephanie Pilato (Moderator)

Senior Director, Finance and Contract Management

National Council on Aging

Stephanie Pilato is a 15+ year member of the NCOA Finance department and enjoys working on the annual budget, forecasting, and assisting project managers with proposal budgets.

Maria Crowley, MA, CRC

Director of Professional Development

NASHIA

Maria plans and coordinates a spectrum of programs to enhance the knowledge and skills of the brain injury community, focusing on state government needs. She is also serves as a primary consultant for the TBI Technical Assistance and Resource Center, funded by the Administration for Community Living, supporting State TBI grantees and other stakeholders. She has worked in the disabilities field with state government for 34 years, and specifically in brain injury since 2000, to help individuals with disabilities reach their maximum potential in home, community, and employment. Maria was the State Head Injury Program Director for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS), designated lead agency in Alabama for traumatic brain injury (TBI) services, for 14 years. She continues to conduct a wealth of training issues related to traumatic brain injury, rehabilitation, employment, concussion management, intimate partner violence, service coordination and trauma/surveillance registries within business, state government, nonprofits and partner organizations.

Elizabeth Leef

Executive Director

Administration for Community Living

Elizabeth Leef is a program specialist at the Administration for Community Living (ACL). In this role, she serves as the Project Officer for the Federal Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program and assists overseeing the TBI Coordinating Center contract. She also assists and monitors the Paralysis Resource Center and the National Limb Loss Resource Center as well as a handful of Protection and Advocacy grants. Ms. Leef has more than 20 years of experience advocating for people with disabilities and addressing barriers to healthcare and independent living.

Amanda Tower

Grant Project Manager

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission

Amanda oversees all activities related to the recently awarded TBI State Partnership Program Grant from the Administration for Community Living. Amanda has spent the last year working with MRC to implement learning opportunities around brain injury, initiating and supporting the new Brain Injury Council and the on-going grant related activities. She has a strong background in non-profit leadership, where prior to joining MRC she spent 10 years uniting community members and partners to achieve common goals. Amanda is on the NASHIA Board of Directors as the Training and Education Committee Chair.

Rebeccah Wolfkiel MPP

Executive Director

National Association of State Head Injury Administrators

Becky joined NASHIA as Executive Director in January 2018. She brings fifteen years of experience in promoting policies that provide resources for individuals with brain injury, and their families. In her role as Executive Director, Rebeccah is committed to representing the interests of State governments and supporting the unique and integral role they play within the service delivery system. She has also worked with former Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Ridge, at the Ridge Policy Group, for ten years, where she formerly represented NASHIA as a government affairs advisor. She played an integral role in the successful reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury in 2014, paving the way for the federal TBI program’s move to the Administration for Community Living.

Prior to her time at the Ridge Policy Group, Rebeccah worked on Capitol Hill for over six years where she served as Legislative Director to Congressman Todd R. Platts, Co-Chair of the Traumatic Brain Injury Taskforce.