Concussion Central

Return-to-work, return-to-play, and return-to-learn are all terms used to describe returning to your life after a concussion. They are terms that your doctors, your employers and/or your educators will use to describe your concussion recovery and management. This episode we wanted to talk about how to return to work successfully, what kind of strategy might be needed and reached out to some experts. James Cameron and the folks at Raven Law have been a great resource for the team at Concussion Central so we brought them on the show.

David and James walk us through James’ own experience helping people with concussions return to work or enter long-term disability; he outlines the problems and mistakes he’s seen and explains how some well-timed legal advice can set up positive outcomes.

Returning to work shouldn’t be a frightening or frustrating process and there are lots of ways to do it but it’s important to consult ahead of time. Even with the clearance from your treating physician, there are times when you might need help explaining your concussion to your employer. It can be hard negotiating some accommodations when your symptoms are almost invisible to others. A coherent strategy can help people living through concussion get the right kind of workplace accommodation they need or even help to navigate through the long-term disability application process.

James Cameron is a partner at Raven Law and has been in practice for over twenty-five years. He’s provided sound advice, effective negotiation strategies, and able representation to clients with respect to labour relations, employment law, long term disability claims, and human rights matters.

Concussion Central would like to emphasize that choosing a lawyer is up to you. Mr. Cameron has some good advice, which is to find a lawyer who specializes in employment law and ideally with concussion experience. Ask your friends or family members who they would recommend.

Disclaimer

The Concussion Central Podcast is a convenient source of information about concussions and living with concussion. All resources, medical and legal resources, and our content are provided for information only. This podcast is not intended to provide medical advice to any individual or organization and should not be relied upon for that purpose. Individuals should always contact a licensed healthcare professional for medical diagnosis and advice.

For more information on the work of Concussion Central, please visit our website at concussioncentral.ca

Concussion Central is hosted and produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions.

Our theme music, Jazzy Sunshine, is by Jonathan Boyle.

"It needs an interdisciplinary team, all working together; a physician, someone working on vision, someone working on vestibular, someone working on the neck, return to work, or school or return to play, and someone on the neuropsychology role. And when you have all of these pieces working together, you don't see concussion as a black box."

• Dr. Shannon Bauman, founder of Concussion North

Welcome to our first episode of Concussion Central, the podcast that changes the way you get your information about concussions.

Our aim on this podcast is to help you, the listener, navigate the often very confusing world of concussions, diagnosis and treatment. And we understand that for those living with a concussion, the best way to receive information isn’t reading material, it isn’t on a screen, it’s by listening. So on this podcast we’ll be bringing you regular audio interviews with some of the world's leading experts on the many aspects of concussions. '

We're thrilled to have Dr Shannon Bauman as our first guest. She is one of North America's leading concussion experts and her story is an amazing one. She was already a successful sports medicine practitioner in Barrie, Ontario, just north of Toronto, when she suffered a debilitating sports related concussion. Her difficult two year journey of recovery inspired her to found her practice, Concussion North, using a successful, interdisciplinary team approach to concussion treatment. She has worked with professional, Olympic and amateur athletes and teams, as well as individuals. Her practice is now based in Des Moines, Iowa and she remains actively involved in developing Canadian health policy on concussions.

For more information on the work of Concussion Central, please visit our website at concussioncentral.ca

Concussion Central is hosted and produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions.

Our theme music, Jazzy Sunshine, is by Jonathan Boyle.

We're thrilled to have Dr Shelina Babul as our guest this episode. She is one of the world's leading concussion experts and creator of the the Concussion Awareness Training Tool, which is transforming concussion education and awareness in Canada and internationally.

As well as being the creator of The CATT, Dr. Babul is an associate Director and Sports Injury Specialist with the British Columbia Injury Research and Prevention Unit at BC Children’s Hospital.

Part of Concussion Central's mission is to help improve how information about concussion can be found. We’re here to point people in the right direction to find trusted information about your injury. So, this episode, we're pleased to have Dr Babul on talking about the CATT, which is one of the best sites available anywhere for helping people learn about recognizing concussion, from parents, partners, coaches, athletes, teachers, and co-workers, to medical professionals.

To learn more about the work of Concussion Central, visit us at www.concussioncentral.ca

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And you can send your comments to [email protected]/

This podcast is produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions and Jennifer Ruddy of Concussion Central.

Our theme music, Jazzy Sunshine, is by Jonathan Boyle.

Concussion patients often struggle to find care for their injury at the time that it happened and if their symptoms continue for longer than expected, that struggle can become even more difficult. Concussion Central shares the overarching vision of the Ontario Neurological Foundation, which is that those suffering from concussion should have “the right care, delivered at the right time, by the right provider.”

We’ve brought Dr. Shannon Bauman back to the show; we had some questions for her about concussions and getting that right care. We wanted to understand the gaps in knowledge for patients and for medical professionals – what is the difference between an acute concussion and a persistent concussion. We wanted to talk about concussion symptoms, who can help us resolve them and how we can better map out pathways through the medical system. She gives us some helpful tips for going to medical appointments and importantly, we ask Dr. Bauman what the best way is to talk with our family physicians about our concussions, to make sure we get the right care, delivered at the right time by the right provider.

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Dr Shannon Bauman is one of North America's leading concussion experts and founder of Concussion North, in Barrie, ON, using a successful, interdisciplinary team approach to concussion treatment. She has worked with professional, Olympic and amateur athletes and teams, as well as individuals. Her practice is now based in Des Moines, Iowa and she remains actively involved in developing Canadian health policy on concussions.

To learn more about the work of Concussion Central, visit us at www.concussioncentral.ca

And you can send your comments to [email protected]/

This podcast is produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions and Jennifer Ruddy of Concussion Central.

Our theme music, Jazzy Sunshine, is by Jonathan Boyle.

The single biggest reason that someone with a concussion will need legal assistance is over long term disability insurance coverage. Roughly half of all LTD claims are rejected by insurers, and as an invisible injury, the process of getting coverage can be especially challenging for those with a concussion.

To help us navigate these potentially choppy waters, we're thrilled to have Kim Patenaude as our guest. She is a lawyer with RavenLaw in Ottawa, specializing in employment law, and an expert in the area of long term disability insurance.

In this episode Kim walks us through the differences between short and long term disability coverage, how and when to make the transition, the crucial role of doctors and specialists in getting approval for LTD coverage, and some helpful hints on managing the paperwork and when to turn to a professional for help.

To learn more about the work of Concussion Central, visit us at www.concussioncentral.ca

And you can send your comments to [email protected]

This podcast is produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions and Jennifer Ruddy of Concussion Central.

Our theme music, Jazzy Sunshine, is by Jonathan Boyle.