to our Newsletter! - Brain Injury Services of Northern Ontario

BISNO NEWS
V O L U M E
1 8
I S S U E
1
M A R C H
2 0 1 5
Employee Recognition
Congratulations to the following employees who
achieved milestones during the past year:
INSIDE
THIS ISS UE:
Thumbs up
Tanya Osadec
15 Years of Service
Sandra Mauro
15 Years of Service
Kelly Pastor
15 Years of Service
Dana Gaudreau
10 Years of Service
Erin Graham
10 Years of Service
Brian Edwards
5 Years of Service
Nancy Allard
15 Years of Service
2
BISNO!
Going to Great
2
Lengths
Dog Sledding
3
Adventures
Margaret
3
Susan Smulski
5 Years of Service
Cartoon
Good Food Box
4
Program
The Big Bike
Ride
4
The Importance
of Health &
Wellness for
BISNO Clients
5
Facts About
Spring
5
President’s
Address
6
The Final Word
6
Trudy Silver
5 Years of Service
Stacy Menei
5 Years of Service
Let’s help our environment and save a tree…….
If you prefer to receive the BISNO newsletter by e-mail please
send your e-mail address to dianna@bisno.org.
P AGE
2
Thumbs up BISNO!
Thumbs Up to the entire McKellar Team! The last six months have
seen a lot of changes, hard work, learning & support. Everyone has been
working above and beyond. Your hard work and dedication is appreciated.
Keep up the good work!
Thumbs Up to Ken with BISNO’s Community Rehabilitation and Outreach
Services Program! Your excellent work with one of your clients at the Canada
Games Complex, has not gone unnoticed. According to the Lifeguards and
Inclusion Services staff at the Complex the achievements that this client is
making are exceptional. Job very well done!
SPRING WORD SEARCH
Thumbs Up to Jenny Veal for always having an infectious smile no matter
which site you are working at!
WO F B J WI H P M
MV L G J Z C I D W
Thumbs Up to the new McKellar Place staff! Your addition to BISNO has been
a breath of fresh air. Clients and family alike will benefit from the services that
you provide for years to come. You are a welcome addition to the BISNO
family.
Y B O G V R L P Z N
Z H WN A P U J R S
WY E ME D N A K O
Thumbs Up to Brian for outstanding group facilitation skills in our new Brain
Wise Group! You continue to go over and above for our individuals in service
and provide a good example for your co-workers.
N V R Z D D I U P N
D L S L D N R N S S
P T E E Q V L A F I
B S R E T S A E G B
K I F A P R I L P O
D Z R K L A WR U O
Going to Great Lengths
C T U D Q J Q F I T
MZ N O S K N C Q S
I R E WH A P H J E
G J A O F K P Z T S
APRIL
BIRDS
BISNO
BOOTS
EASTER
FLOWERS
GARDEN
MARCH
PUDDLES
RAIN
SUN
WALK
BISNO
One of our individuals in service
recently cut his hair so that it could
be donated to “Angel Hair for Kids”, a program
that provides wigs and hair loss solutions to
financially disadvantaged children in Canada
who have lost their hair due to a medical
condition or treatment. His generous donation will
help increase a child’s self esteem and improve
their self image during a difficult time. Brad, we
are all so incredibly proud of you!
NEWS
V OLUME
18
ISSUE
1
P AGE
Dog Sledding Adventures
On March 3rd, 2015 BISNO’s TREK Group ventured out to beautiful
Kaministiquia for an incredible afternoon of dog sledding and social
comfort. The weather was perfect for this event, -2 with soft flurries
falling. This was our largest turnout ever, hosting 17 clients from three
BISNO sites.
Our hosts, Paul and his father from Boreal Sled Dog Adventure were, as always, incredibly
welcoming. They set up their tent with a wood stove for heat inside, outdoor bonfire and even
had homemade cookies, cranberry bread and hot chocolate.
Everybody reported that they had a great time, sharing laughs and making memories for years
to come.
We had one client who purchased dog biscuits for the event and spent
time at the end of the day walking up to every single dog (over 30!),
thanking each one individually and giving them a biscuit. Paul (the owner
of the place) told me that our client even remembered which dogs took
him for the ride.
Our adventure would not have been possible without assistance from a
number of organizations and individuals. A special thank you to Boreal
Sled Dog Adventure, Superior Home Health Care and the Danny Dawson
Foundation. Looking forward to next year’s adventure!
MARGARET
by
Bryson McChesnie
BISNO’s Regional Office will be
closed on April 3rd and April 6th
for the Easter Holidays.
3
P AGE
4
GOOD FOOD BOX PROGRAM
The Good Food Box program makes quality, fresh foods available at reasonable
prices, while promoting community involvement and supporting local agriculture.
What is the Good Food Box?
The Good Food Box is a non-profit program for families and
individuals who want to purchase quality, fresh produce at a lower
price than shopping at grocery stores.
You can purchase a family box for $20 or an individual box for
$12. Boxes are ordered and paid for by the first Thursday of each
month. Food is packed and distributed from a main site to local host sites for pick up the
second last Thursday of each month. This means food is accessible at a time when
some have less money available for buying food. The Good Food Box program is administrated by Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre (the Lakehead Social Planning
Council is a host site).
Call (807) 345-7819 or (807) 628-5768 for more information
THE BIG BIKE RIDE
On May 19th, 2015 Team BISNO will be hitting the streets again
on the BIG BIKE! The Heart & Stroke Big Bike is a team event
geared towards community organizations, companies and
groups. Teams made up of 29 enthusiastic riders each commit to raise $50 or more. A
driver is provided by the Foundation and riders pedal through their community in
support of heart disease and stroke research.
A vital fundraiser with impressive results, Heart & Stroke Big Bike continues to engage
Canadians across the country. Last year, over 65,000 riders, in over 200 communities,
helped raise over $8.4 million for research! This is helping us achieve even greater
results that change the lives of not only heart and stroke patients, but all Canadians.
Have you checked out our website yet? Or liked us on facebook?
Visit www.bisno.org and let us know what you think. You will be
able access our facebook page from the website. If you have
any comments please e-mail dianna@bisno.org.
BISNO
V OLUME
18
ISSUE
1
P AGE
5
The Importance of Health and Wellness for BISNO Clients
If you live at or are visiting a BISNO location while feeling unwell…

To prevent airborne infections, wear a mask.

Do not share personal items with others

Wash your hands for 10-15 seconds with warm water between any contact
with others, using the washroom, coughing or after changing gloves.

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of microbes on them
in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
that contains at least 60% alcohol.

If you have a cough, use a tissue or cough into your sleeve.

If you are visiting, wear protective gloves. If torn, replace with a new pair.
Your Health Depends on Good Communication

When you are with your doctor it is important to ask questions and to understand your health/
medication(s). This can create safer health outcomes for you.

Be involved!

You can ask questions such as…

“What is my health condition?”

“What do I need to do?”

“Why do I need to do this?”

“What should I tell my family?”

“Are there any other options?”
We can Help!

Speak to a staff member if you have noticed any changes in your health.

We would be more than happy to help you talk with your doctor about any concerns.







The first day of spring is called the vernal equinox. What does that stand for you ask? ‘Vernal’ is Latin for spring
while ‘equinox’ is Latin for ‘equal night’.
The idea that the first day of spring is exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness rarely works. There is
always a time when it is exact, but experts say it usually occurs before the vernal equinox.
The reason there is more daylight during the spring is the earth’s axis tilts toward the sun at this time of year.
Another reason for more daylight? Daylight Saving Time. Canada begins saving daylight on the second Sunday in
March.
Benjamin Franklin first proposed Daylight Saving Time in 1784.
The first spring flowers are typically daffodils, dandelions, lilies, tulips, iris and lilacs to name a few.
Spring fever is not just a saying. Experts say the body’s makeup changes due to different diets, hormone production
and temperature.
President’s Address
After the coldest February ever
we are all enjoying more
daylight and looking forward to
spring. The residents of our new
assisted living units at McKellar
Place will be enjoying their
views of the Sleeping Giant and
Mount McKay and the great
support that they receive. The
Board is very appreciative of all
the extra effort required from
staff to make these new units a
reality; we have already heard
from family members that their
loved ones are thriving in their
new environment.
In the last few years I have been
taking part in meetings at the
NWLHIN, the government
agency that provides most of
our funding. They understand
that BISNO is a unique
the staff for all that they do for
organization that provides
our clients
services that are not available
elsewhere in the community.
Sally Colquhoun
BISNO is a very focused agency,
President
and we are very good at what we
do. I say “we”, because after
eight years on the Board of
Directors I do feel a part of the
agency, but I know that the
amazing service that is provided
to our clients is really the result of
the dedication and extremely hard
work of all of our staff members.
It is a pleasure to be associated
with an agency that serves their
“hard-to-serve” clients so well.
As we gear up for Brain Injury
Awareness Month I would like to
take this opportunity to thank all
The Final Word
March is also the last month in
our fiscal year so it’s an
opportunity to reflect on the past
year. I have been working
closely with the Board of
Directors on developing our
2015 to 2020 Strategic
Directions. It has been
circulated to all of the Health
Service providers in the North
West, families involved in our
Family Service Satisfaction
Survey and employees.
Feedback has been
incorporated and the Plan will
be finalized at the April board
meeting. The Leadership Team
will develop an Operational
Workplan and report quarterly to
the Board on progress made in
achieving the various goals set
out in the Strategic Directions.
Speaking of the Family Service
Satisfaction Survey, I am pleased
to report we’ve had a very good
response rate and, overall,
families are satisfied with the
services we offer and would
recommend us to others. As with
everything, there is always room
for improvement; so an area of
focus will be how families can be
more involved in supporting their
family member and also BISNO
as a whole. Input into the
Strategic Directions was to do
more of what we currently deliver
for all those who are waiting for
services.
Along with everyone else in
Canada, I’m looking forward to
spring, since this has been the
coldest February! I’m planning
what flowers will go into the
window boxes to beautify the
outside of our Regional Office.
Many people have purchased
their seeds and may have
already started their gardens
indoors. At the time of writing
this message we are
experiencing downright balmy
temperatures and 9 more days
till the first day of Spring!
Alice Bellavance
Executive Director