History

Since 1983 Raincoast Community Rehabilitation Services has provided assessment and situation specific, one-to-one rehabilitation for individuals and families who have experienced traumatic brain injury. Clients served have ranged in age from 12 to 73 years and have been referred within a number of months following their injury or more than 10 years after their injury.

Interdisciplinary Team

A team of professionals with different expertise work together as members of our Clinical Management Team to define and address the rehabilitation needs of each client: Neuropsychologist, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Certified Rehabilitation Counsellors and Rehabilitation Workers.

Program Goals

The overall goal of Raincoast Community Rehabilitation Services is to provide assessment and rehabilitation services which enable clients to improve their independence and quality of life by maximizing responsible self-direction and effective functioning within the community. Raincoast Community Rehabilitation Services focuses on independence, community reintegration and long-term support and intervention for individuals and families who have experienced traumatic brain injury.

The Community Based One-to-One Model

Raincoast Community Rehabilitation Services takes a comprehensive approach to understanding disabilities and uses a community-based service model of cognitive and psychosocial rehabilitation for individuals who have experienced brain injury. The emphasis is always on goal oriented practical application involving the actual tasks, activities and behaviours that each individual must deal with in their own lives over the long term. A comprehensive approach means that cognitive, behavioural, emotional and social aspects of disability are considered along with others in understanding the condition of and social aspects of each client. A community-based service model means that our rehabilitation services are provided in the community settings in which clients live, work and play.

The often far-reaching effect of traumatic brain injury on adaptive functioning call for a comprehensive approach, which addresses a wide range of potential problem areas including:

• COGNITIVE/EMOTIONAL
  • self-evaluation
  • problem solving
  • recognition/memory
  • time orientation/management
  • emotion management
  • self-control
• BEHAVIOURAL-PERSONAL
  • personal care
  • community mobility
  • physical activity level
• AVOCATIONAL/VOCATIONAL
  • recreation/leisure activity
  • work and work-related behaviour
• BEHAVIOURAL-SOCIAL
  • communication
  • social interaction
  • family relations

Our Purpose

• To improve and maintain quality of life for individuals and families who have experienced traumatic brain injury.
• To achieve maximum independence and reintegration at home, at school, at work and throughout the larger community.
• To facilitate adaptive functioning through individualized rehabilitation.
• To provide cost effective rehabilitation for individuals as dictated by their needs including life long service.
• To meet the long term needs within their own community of individuals and families who have experienced traumatic brain injury.

Our Services

• Interdisciplinary Clinical Management Team
  This team consists of an Occupational Therapist, Neuropsychologist, Certified Rehabilitation Counsellor, and Supervisory Staff of Raincoast Community Rehabilitation Services.
• Initial consultations and evaluations are used by the Inter-disciplinary Clinical Management Team to provide recommendations for rehabilitative services based on a review of records and interview with potential clients, family members and other professionals.

Assessments

• Brief Evaluation
• Neuropsychological
• Occupational Therapy
• Prevocational
• Vocational
• Employability

Treatment and Training Programs

With a view towards achieving the greatest possible level of independence and community reintegration, an individualized rehabilitation program is designed to meet the client's specific treatment and training needs. One-to-one,situation specific programs of training and intervention involving cognitive/behavioural techniques as well as a variety of other techniques tailored to the individual client's needs are the primary method through which the goals of specific training programs are achieved. Family members or concerned others are often directly involved in the rehabilitation program. The rehabilitative training provided is as comprehensive as needed and may include the client's family and ranges from education about brain injury to training in specific modes of interacting with the brain-injured client. Programs are continually revised according to the client's needs. Progress is reviewed by our Inter-disciplinary Clinical Management Team and progress is reported at regular intervals.

Long Term Support Services

Once survivors have completed rehabilitative training (Active Rehabilitation) additional services are provided for those clients who need them in order to meet their long term needs. These services are provided with a view to maintaining the progress clients have made through previous training and to ensure adaptation to changing circumstances. This is achieved through a variety of means including regular monitoring of an individual's situation, periodic re-assessment, and regular intervention in areas where this is needed. These on-going Monitoring and Intervention services permit early identification of changing environmental or personal conditions, and maintenance of improved functioning achieved through Active Rehabilitation. Early intervention prevents more serious difficulties and minimizes the extent of intervention needed. Continued services are provided through the minimum hours of service possible. It is also the case that for many clients long term progress is also made through Monitoring and Intervention services.

Many individuals who have experienced brain injury require support through Monitoring and Intervention services provided in the community over the long term, and often throughout their lifetime. These services can also be provided to clients who have received treatment or training from other programs and facilities that do not provide for long term needs.

Our Method

• A comprehensive community based approach including cognitive, behavioural, emotional and social aspects of brain injury.
• Goal oriented practical applications.
• Including family members and others involved with the individual client to enable them to assist as much as possible.
• A combined approach involving remediation of skills, retraining, training in compensatory strategies, redefinition of self, rebuilding self-esteem, establishing and maintaining routines and structure.
• Working in conjunction with other professionals.

Geographical Areas Served

Services are provided throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and elsewhere in B.C. through special arrangements.

For more information contact

Raincoast Community Rehabilitation Services Inc.
Phone: 604.444.3770
Toll Free: 1.800.535.9988
Fax: 604.444.3729
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it