Helping kids who experience a concussion to recover safely and “stay supported every step of the way” is one aim of an upcoming educational event in Peterborough for parents, teachers, coaches, and healthcare professionals.
Peterborough Athletic Concussion Awareness (PACA) and the Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation (GPHSF) are hosting the first-ever Peterborough Concussion Summit from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28 at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough.
Presented by Gowland, Boriss Injury Lawyers, with financial support from the Ontario Brain Institute, the event is an important one for the Peterborough community, according to PACA project manager Ryan Sutton.
“When a concussion happens, families are often left feeling uncertain and overwhelmed,” Sutton told kawarthaNOW. “Parents wonder what to do or how long their child should stay home, athletes feel frustrated by being sidelined, and teachers and coaches struggle with how to support recovery.”
“The Peterborough Concussion Summit is about giving our community clarity and confidence, with the tools to recognize, manage, and prevent concussions while helping young people return to school, sport, and daily life safely.”
Described in a media release as a dynamic half-day educational event, the summit is designed to bring together educators, healthcare professionals, coaches, parents, athletes, and students for meaningful conversations and practical learning around concussion management and recovery.
The summit includes expert-led presentations, aimed at helping participants gain access to the latest research, treatment strategies, and real-world approaches for supporting students and athletes through concussion recovery, whether symptoms are new or persistent, organizers noted.
“The Peterborough Concussion Summit is about practical, evidence-informed tools that schools and sport can use the very next day, so kids recover safer and stay supported every step of the way,” Sutton said.
“We are bringing teachers, coaches, parents, and healthcare providers into the same room to move concussion care from confusion to coordination.”
The summit will feature a keynote address, followed by three panel discussions. The first panel will focus on the “Return-To-Learn” protocol. The second panel will zero in on the “Return-To-Play” protocol, and the third panel will focus on fostering stronger connections between classrooms, sports and health care.
Each panel will be moderated by Peterborough family physician Dr. Steph Dallaire. Along with working with concussion patients, Dallaire’s perspective as both a coach and parent to children active in sports will help connect all the topics of focus for the day, according to the release.
Registration for the summit is $24 for adults and $14 for students (includes venue fees), with lunch and snacks are included as part of registration. Doors open at 11 a.m.
All proceeds from the event will be directed to the GPHSF Concussion Fund and used to support further concussion education and awareness opportunities. GPHSF, a non-profit foundation, is the primary funder of the PACA program and has been backing concussion-related programming for health care providers and the public in the Peterborough area for more than 15 years.
For more information about the Peterborough Concussion Summit and to register, visit www.paca.health/education/peterborough-concussion-summit/.
PACA was formed in April 2019 with the goal of increasing awareness while taking a community approach, “setting a new standard for communities who aim to tackle concussions.” The community-led team aims to increase concussion awareness by working under its four pillars: recognize, remove, manage, prevent.
