Videogame helps brain injury survivors in Victoria

You may exercise your legs and arms, but what about exercising your brain?

A new program at the Victoria Brain Injury Society is showing us how, just like your muscles, you can strengthen your brain with a bit of training.

The goal of the program is to help improve the lives of people with brain injuries.

Andy Lefort, who is a client at the Victoria Brain Injury Society, has had short-term memory challenges since having a brain aneurysm 20 years ago.

"I wasn’t even recognizing people for who they were, and I only know that because people were telling me, 'You used to call me so and so,'" said Lefort.

He now uses a notebook to help remind himself of the important things, like ice cream deals.

"Espresso almond fudge on sale at Save-On," laughed Lefort as he read off his notebook.

Decades after his aneurysm, Lefort comes to the Victoria Brain Injury Society for help with long-term issues, like memory loss and fatigue.

On Wednesday he was doing a cognitive training program for people with brain injuries which uses a software called Neurotracker.

The free program is backed by research from University of Victoria PhD candidate Taylor Snowden.

"It's a way to train your brain with a 3D videogame," said Jamie Morrison, a Train Your Brain project coordinator.

"We've tested this in a population of brain injury survivors, so we know that it’s beneficial to them and it works," she said.

People who did the training twice a week for five weeks reported a reduction in their symptoms, including headaches, dizziness and anxiety.

"I've never had a really good deep sleep. And since I've been doing Neurotracker, I'm just down," said Lefort. "I get a good, solid five or six hours."

Lisa Plaiser, who's been Lefort's friend for 28 years, says she's noticed he's perkier and more positive.

"He is optimistic anyway, but knowing there’s other tools that will help with his cognitive abilities is so important," she said.

It's a tool that Lefort says he's committed to.

"It’s been a real challenge for me," he said. "It’s almost like a little voice saying, 'You can’t do this,' and I’m going like, 'You sit back. Just watch.'"

If you've had a brain injury and want to try the training you can reach out the Victoria Brain Injury Society.