The journey through rehabilitation and life after a brain injury is challenging and can be full of obstacles. Frequently people have questions about what resources are available to help them along the way. The Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey's Brain Injury Helpline helps answer many of these questions by pointing callers toward resources, services, and supports.
The Alliance’s very first service was our Helpline run from the kitchens of our founders. To this day, the Brain Injury Helpline remains central to the services we provide. Our Information & Resource Specialists field close to 2,000 calls each year from people with brain injury, their family members and friends, professionals, and the general public, and rely on a large collection of publications, articles and resources to provide callers with information that will help them.
Every Question Is Important
My son was in a car crash and is in the hospital…They said it would be a long recovery, what does that mean? My mother is about to be discharged from the rehab hospital, but she can’t be left alone…What kind of help can I get for her care? My husband fell from a ladder and hit his head…That was six months ago and he is still not the same person he was before the injury, what can I do? The insurance company won’t approve coverage of rehabilitation, what do we do? My son was injured as a young child and is still living with us. My husband and I are getting older and are beginning to worry about what will happen when we’re not around anymore to take care of him...Where will he live? My son sustained a concussion at a soccer game a few months back and is now failing half of his classes…Where can we go for help? These are the kind of questions our Information & Resources Specialists help people answer every day. When you call, an Information & Resource Specialist will ask you questions that help us provide the most appropriate suggestions in response to your unique circumstances. All information provided to the Alliance through our Helpline is held in confidence. A few things we might ask include: When did the injury happen? How old was s/he at the time of injury? Do you have medical insurance? How is s/he doing now?
How To Reach Us
The Alliance’s Helpline is available to persons with a brain injury, family members or friends, professionals and the public. You can reach us in several ways:
- Call Us – Toll-free Family Helpline 800-669-4323 (in NJ), or main phone number 732-745-0200, and ask to speak with an Information & Resource Specialist.
- E-mail Us – info@bianj.org
- Write Us – Through regular postal service at Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey, Inc., Attention: Information & Resources Specialist, 825 Georges Road, Second Floor, North Brunswick, NJ 08902
Language Line Services
Language is not a barrier! Our Information & Resource Specialists use interpreters from Language Line to provide information to callers who do not speak English. Language Line can provide interpreters for more than 60 languages. A caller who requires an interpreter can call the Alliance, indicate the language s/he speaks, and wait a few minutes for an interpreter from Language Line to be added to the call. If an Information & Resource Specialist is not available at that time, one of our receptionists will take a message, and the Information & Resource Specialist will call back with an interpreter at a mutually convenient time.
Hours of Operation
Our Helpline operates during the regular business hours of the Alliance, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Alliance is closed on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve (or day after Christmas), and Christmas Day.
Our Information & Resources Specialists respond to all requests in as timely a manner as possible depending on the volume of requests, usually within one business day. The Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey does not make direct referrals for professional services. Responses to requests for information are not intended to replace medical, legal or professional advice, but to provide a person with some of the resources available to help them make an informed choice.
Additional Ways We Can Help
The Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey provides a number of additional programs and services that assist people with brain injury and their families, as well as offer education and training about brain injury. These include support groups throughout the state, a weeklong residential summer camp for people with brain injury 16 and older called TREK, an Annual Seminar, free educational sessions called Brain Injury Basics for Families offered in different counties throughout the state, and free evening sessions in the spring and fall for parents and school professionals.