What Is SBIA (Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association)?

Updated

SBIA stands for the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association, a Canadian non-profit founded in 1985 by families whose loved ones had sustained brain injuries. Its stated mission is to prevent brain injuries and improve the lives of survivors and their families. The website, sbia.ca, is relevant to you if you are a brain injury survivor, a family member or caregiver, a health care professional, or someone looking for prevention and education resources in Saskatchewan and across Canada.

Who SBIA serves

The site speaks to several audiences at once:

  • Survivors and families – practical support information and first-hand guidance on what survivors want others to know.
  • Caregivers and friends – context on the effects of traumatic or acquired brain injury.
  • Health care professionals – a concussion webinar series featuring neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, and other specialists.
  • The general public – prevention campaigns aimed at reducing the number of new injuries.

The homepage frames the scale of the issue directly: "Every 3 minutes, another Canadian sustains a brain injury."

What the website offers

The content is organized into three broad areas: advocacy, education, and support.

Advocacy

SBIA works with brain injury associations across Canada to push for a National Brain Injury Strategy. The site links to a book explaining why that strategy is needed, along with pages on housing, facts and statistics, and a "Forgotten Canadians: Brain Injury Crisis" section.

Education

This is the largest section, built around prevention and concussion awareness:

  • Protect Your Melon / Save Your Melon – a helmet and injury-prevention campaign, with a flyer and activity manual.
  • Take Brain Injury Out Of Play – sport-related resources including a brochure and a TIOP Charter & Pledge.
  • Concussion Webinar Series – free sessions held Tuesdays at 6pm EST, supported by LiUNA, featuring experts on concussion and its treatment. The published schedule covers topics such as concussion in older adults, screen-related post-concussion symptoms, exercise therapy, mental health strategies, anxiety/depression/PTSD, neuropsychiatric medications, when to consult a social worker, and return-to-work/vocational rehabilitation. The series is described as intended for people with persisting concussion symptoms, their families, friends, caregivers, and health care professionals.

Support

Resources for people directly affected include Support Information, an Introduction to Head Injuries, a Toolbox, "Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together," and "What Brain Injury Survivors Want You To Know."

How to get involved or learn more

  • Donate – the site promotes BrainLove donations and states that donations "make all the difference."
  • Fundraise – the Brain Boogie fundraiser and the Protect Your Melon hard-hat campaign both raise funds for SBIA.
  • Register for a webinar – the concussion series is free to attend and registration is handled through a link on the site.

If you are looking for Saskatchewan-based brain injury support, prevention materials, or free expert-led concussion education, sbia.ca is the organization's main entry point. Start with the support or education section depending on whether you need help now or want to understand prevention and recovery.