Head Injury Information Day (HiiD) in Edinburgh

In this blog, we share our experiences participating in the Head Injury Information Day in Edinburgh to disseminate the YARNS Transitions project.

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Head injuries are a major cause of death and disability in people aged 1 to 40 in the UK (NICE, 2023). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in three people is affected by neurological conditions which are the leading cause of illness and disability worldwide (WHO, 2024). Therefore, it is important to raise awareness about these life-altering injuries and advocate for better prevention, treatment, and support. Information days serve as a valuable resource to obtain comprehensive information from many organizations involved in brain injury across Scotland. On the 12th of June, Digby Brown organised a free Head Injury Information Day (HiiD) at the O2 Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland. As part of this event, various workshops and presentations were held from organisations across Scotland and the wider UK. We were proud to be invited and represent the YARNS Transitions team, our ongoing research and University of Edinburgh as a whole at the HiiD. You might have even seen us there! But in case you didn’t, here are some of the activities we got up to.

Workshops – Virtual Reality, Brain Teasers and More!

The YARNS Transitions team had a stall set up in the main exhibition hall of the O2 Academy where we had a variety of activities and information to share with our fellow exhibitors. Our biggest hit was definitely the virtual reality activity, allowing those an insight into our world of research. We also had activities whereby individuals would have to pencil out a route through a paper maze, using their non-dominant hand and only the reflection of a mirror to provide some insight into the effects of dyspraxia. Most importantly, with the majority of our team present and several students, we were able to disseminate some of our research and make contact with various allied health professionals and charity organisations. But wait, there’s more!

‘Learning from the Stories of Brain Injury in Young Adults’ – A presentation from our very own Dr Colin Chandler!

Amidst several excellent presentations exploring brain injury and anatomy, neuropsychology, technology, stories and awareness, we were able to present some of our findings from the original YARNS team and how they have informed our current research. This presentation focused on many, many stories from young adults who had experienced a brain injury and the variety of impacts this had on their lives. In doing so, we presented why we are doing this research and why it is so important.