NEUROTRAUMA

Our Office is in...

Developmental Disabilites Services Branch
2201 Waimano Home Road
Pearl City, Hawaii 96782
Ph: (808) 453-6151

• It is administered by the Department of Health through the Developmental Disabilities Division. It is established to develop, lead, administer, coordinate, monitor, evaluate, and set direction for a comprehensive system to support and provide services for survivors of neurotrauma injuries in the State of Hawaii.
  
• A good starting point to obtain information on services and supports available in your community is to:
  
• Call our Office at (808) 453-6151, OR
• Use this website to search for key information about the resources you are seeking.
  
• We will do our best to steer you toward specific programs, services and supports that are currently available in your community. It is important to remember that you may have to make more than one phone call to obtain all the information you need. This is time well spent.
  
• As you contact programs, agencies or organizations for information, have relevant data ready about the person with disability (whether it be you, a friend or relative). Programs and services have a variety of eligibility criteria. Some will want to know the individual's physician, health and functional status. Others may require information on the person's income or assets. These details can be crucial in directing you not only to appropriate services, but also in helping to determine whether you are eligible for various programs and benefits.

Screening and Intake to Access Our Program:

• Beyond the basic information and referral serivce described above, you may want to apply to participate in our Program.

Do you meet the defintion of a neurotrauma injury?

A severe chronic disability of a person that is attributable to an injury to the central nervous system, such as traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, and likely to continue indefinitely. Neurotrauma can include other neurological dysfunctions but does not include substance misuse and abuse, Alzheimer's disease, or the infirmities of aging. Neurotrauma or other neurological deficits result in substantial functional limitations in two or more of the following areas:

1. Self-care;
2. Speech, hearing, or communication;
3. Learning;
4. Mobility;
5. Self-direction;
6. Capacity for independent living; and
7. Economic sufficiency.

• Screening Process - call our Office and tell us...

1. Who are you?
2. How can you be contacted?
3. What is your neurotrauma injury?
4. What do you need assistance with?
5. What is your medical status?
6. Current Intervetions/Treatments/Therapies

• Intake Process - we will schedule a face-to-face meeting with you to gather additional information and help you start creating an Action Plan based on your needs.
  

• Eligibility Process - we will be mailing a "Request for Eligibility" Form to you. Take it to your doctor and have him fill it in and return it to us. After the returned "Request for Eligibility" Form has been received by our Office, a determination will be made as to whether or not you are eligible to participate in our program.

We realize that some of you might be unsure as to what direction you want your lives to take due to current traumatic or extenuating situations, so person-centered planning is an option you might consider. It should be emphasized that the plan is "your" plan and not the Office's plan for you. You are responsible for acting on the plan and we are responsible for providing you with the information to help facilitate the process. The following criteria should be considered before you decide that you want to go ahead with the planning process...

1. Do you (as the focus person) have a "circle" of people you can invite and who are willing to participate in the planning process? The circle may include family members, friends, care providers, professionals and others whom you invite to join in the process of supporting your vision of a future and co-constructing then participating in action plans to make that vision a reality.
2. Is the plan better than what you have now?
3. Will it do no harm?
4. Is there a commitment to act on what the "circle" learns?
5. Is there a commitment to continue to learn?

Where possible "natural supports" should be used and maintained. For action plans that require information about neurotrauma and assistance to access services in your communities, our Office may be able to assist you, contact us at (808) 453-6151.

For those with significant neurotrauma disabilities, an important key in selecting the appropriate service or mix of programs and in facilitating agency responsiveness is to get a comprehensive assessment of your needs and the management or coordination of services provided from various sources. Generally help in making these determinations is offered from appropriate health and social agencies which offer assessment and case management services once the individual has been accepted into their program. Hospital social workers and discharge planners can be a great resource for persons who are being discharged from a medical facility and are in search of assistance programs.

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