"Totes of Comfort & Hope Program"

Tote Bag Program

Totes Distributed by Year:

2005/06	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
75	1097	1331	1221	1263	795

How we do it:

Tracy Porter runs the organization herself through donations her organization receives and with the help of her family and local volunteers, many of whom are family members of TBI survivors who were at one time, a recipient of a tote bag and want to give back with their time to the organization.

What the totes look like: 

Our 24” Navy Blue tote bags with white lettering include a top zippered closure, large interior zippered pocket, two front pockets with Velcro closure and 24" carrying handles. They are made from 600 denier polyester with vinyl backing.

Inside each tote bag you will find:

Each Tote bag contains only those items that will be THE MOST HELPFUL and THE MOST MEEDED in order to assist the family during their initial stay at the hospital with their injured family member. The tote bag and its contents say to the family, “You Are NOT Alone, we have been where you are now, and we care-We know what you are going through”.

COMFORT

• Travel Pillow-To rest
• Fleece Blanket (50"x60") – To stay warm-ICU waiting areas are kept at cooler temperatures to prevent infection
• Personal toiletries for two (Just the basics when the immediate family finds it too difficult  to leave the hospital)
• Snacks- Just a little something to tide a family over for a few hours until meals can be arranged for them

USEFUL TOOLS

• Business Card Holder- To keep professionals’ business cards in one place throughout hospitalization, rehabilitation and recovery
• Writing Journal & pens- To write down questions, answers, thoughts, hopes, fears, or  to journal progress from day to day
• Information on the importance of photographs and video- The injured person will likely have no memory of the early days and weeks of hospitalization- It could be important for them to see them later on.
• Playing cards (to help pass the time)
• Caring Bridge- A Free private and personalized journaling website for easier communication with family and friends during a healthcare crisis.
• Take Them A Meal- A Free website for neighbors, co-workers and friends so they can organize the preparation and delivery of meals for the family during this time

Many of the items listed here were carefully selected because of their easy to understand content, detailed diagrams, and value in order to educate the family in private and at their own pace. Families are better able to cope with the injury and its unpredictable nature when they are better informed. A few of the booklets contain additional resources the family will need once leaving the acute stage of hospitalization and rehabilitation. Further resources are listed on the Links/Resources page.

• 1-800-TBI-HOPE Brochure
• Brain Injury. Where do we go from here? -A Step By Step Handbook in English & Spanish 
• Understanding Brain Injury - Acute Hospitalization-A Family Guide
• Understanding Brain Injury - Neurologic Rehabilitation-An Education Guide
• Successfully Surviving a Brain Injury, A Family Guidebook- A personal Journey through TBI
• Lash Publishing Catalog & Tip Cards–Easy to understand Educational Materials specific to Brain Injury with a variety of Tip Cards on subjects like:  “Understanding Coma” , “Families of Managers of Care & Services”
• Florida Brain & Spinal Cord Injury Program
  
• Brain Injury Association of Florida Brochure
• Florida Traumatic Brain Injury Support Group Listing

HOPE

We include letters and encouraging stories we receive from families who understand, only after experiencing this event, that the process of awakening, rehabilitation, and recovery are sometimes very slow with baby steps forward and occasional setbacks. Sharing their feelings and now looking back, these stories help to assure families new to the world of TBI that the journey toward recovery takes patience, love and support from whole family and blanket of support.

How our totes are distributed to families: 

We have formed unique and special relationships with our hospital partners. Our liaisons within the hospitals order tote bags directly from us, maintaining a steady supply so they are always on hand to be given freely to families who need them. Each hospital has its own distribution method and protocols on how and when the totes will be given to the families of a Traumatic Brain Injury patient. Some will have a staff member give the tote immediately upon arrival, while others will provide one once the patient has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Each hospital partner is offered the opportunity to have the founder visit to perform In-Service presentations for staff members twice a year (In Florida only). It is important that all staff coming into contact with the patient’s family understand the value of each item inside the tote bag. This allows the staff to spend more time focused on patient care and less time comforting and consoling worried family members.

Criteria for delivery:

The tote bag program was specifically designed for families of those affected by “Traumatic” Brain Injury. This does not include other forms of acquired brain injuries such as stroke, aneurism, hypoxic injury, or tumor. Outcomes and resources are in many cases different than TBI.

One family member experiencing a moderate or Traumatic Brain Injury will be provided a tote bag. In some cases two totes may be offered so that extended families have the information they need to help them through this event. The totes are provided to the family in a caring and compassionate manner as early as reasonably possible upon arrival as this is when the family is in the most need of Information, Comfort & Hope. The family is informed that the tote bag is being provided to them for free by an organization whose founder has been where they are now and understands what they are going through.

 The value the tote bag has to the family far outweighs the cost to deliver this one of a kind compassionate yet comprehensive program.