PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK, USA, May 5, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As America comes to terms with life’s “new normal” with Covid-19, the New York brain injury law firm De Caro & Kaplen, LLP, have called for additional understanding, support, and assistance for brain injury survivors.

According to De Caro & Kaplen, the cognitive, physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms associated with traumatic brain injury, may be intensified by necessary isolation and social distancing measures, exacerbated by the uncertainty and fear of the crisis.

To raise awareness, the firm has created a new video, titled “Living with a Brain Injury During Covid-19”, which highlights the additional stresses many individuals with a brain injury face at this time, and asks those who know, or interact with brain injury survivors to reach out and “make sure they are OK”. The video also acknowledges the bravery of those on the front line, including first responders, medical, and service personnel.

Shana De Caro, a member of the law firm and vice chair of the board of directors of the Brain Injury Association of America remarked, “The impact of the coronavirus outbreak has affected individuals, families, and communities, across the United States and around the world. It is essential that brain injury survivors, already feeling isolated and fearful, remain connected to others. The Brain Injury Association of America has received an unprecedented volume of calls over the past weeks from brain injury survivors and family members seeking advice and assistance.”

Living with a Brain Injury During Covid-19 begins by asking viewers to imagine they “woke up in a foreign country”, with accompanying visuals of deserted New York streets, and empty subways and playgrounds.

And according to De Caro, this was an analogy the firm had previously used — in their video “The Invisible Rain Cloud” — to explain the experiences of brain injury survivors, “In The Invisible Rain Cloud video, we used the analogy of sustaining a brain injury being like ‘waking up in a foreign country’, as for many brain injury survivors, their whole world changes suddenly and dramatically after TBI. Viewing news footage of deserted town centers, closed parks, schools and businesses, and lines for essential items, is analogous to the experience of all Americans during the current crisis.”

De Caro continued, “Of course this means that for many brain injury survivors, this is the second time they are forced to adapt to a ‘new world’, which makes it even more challenging.”

Michael V. Kaplen, a member of the firm and chair of the New York State Traumatic Brain Injury Services Coordinating Council echoed De Caro’s comments, and also called for individuals with brain injury to be reminded of current safety advice, “Being trapped at home can be frightening. For brain injury survivors, removed from day programs, club houses, and support groups amplifies their fear and isolation. Their symptoms may worsen. People with a brain injury may not understand the scope of the pandemic and its unusual demands, such as the need to wear masks, heightened protocols for social distancing, and repeated handwashing.”

Kaplen continued, “We created this video to send a simple message: Take a moment to check on a neighbor, friend, family member, or client suffering from a traumatic brain injury. Let a brain injury survivor know he or she is not alone. Regardless of your occupation or profession, there is always something you can do, or say, or someone you can help.”

Living with a Brain Injury During Covid-19 can be viewed on the firm’s website at https://brainlaw.com/covid19/ and on De Caro & Kaplen’s YouTube channel.

Michael V. Kaplen
De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
(914) 747 4410
email us here

Living with a Brain Injury During Covid-19