It’s an organization that over the years has helped thousands of brain injury patients get their lives back, including Robert Koning.
Koning’s life changed in a split second while driving home from work on a wintry country road
“My truck got out of control, I hit an ice patch and my truck went like this and hit the ditch and I flew out,” says Koning.
Koning suffered a severe brain injury, but says what has made a difference in his recovery has been the help from Dale Brain Injury Services
“It helped me out a lot...before I couldn’t do a lot of stuff on my own, I used to have staff with me 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Around 500 people use Dale Brain Injury Services annually, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg according to executive director Sue Hillis.
“We have an ever-growing wait list of people who really need our supports and some do need one-to-one, but if we can get them here in group settings maybe they aren’t getting all the intense one-to-one support they need, but they are getting some Ssupport and we are avoiding a crisis."
In order to get more people into the day programs the organization has moved to a new, larger building
Hillis says it has already made a difference for many of the members here who rely on these services
“They're also wanting to be here...to have someplace to go and feel like they belong and have friends...develop those relationships and make those connections.”
The organization is now working on renovating an additional space in the building in order to open up a stroke rehabilitation day program in February.
