Brad Loftis CBIS, Founder & CEO is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist with over 20 years of experience working directly with several different populations of people with disabilities. He has worked extensively with adults with diagnosis of Dementia, Altziemers Disease, Stroke, and Traumatic Brain Injury. Mr. Loftis has much direct care experience as well as directing and owning Adult Foster Homes, an Assisted Living Facility, and a Residential Care Facility specializing in the complex daily and rehabilitation needs of residents living with Traumatic Brain Injury.

The Cognitive Enhancement Center therapeutic day program was founded in 2003. The Center’s mission is to provide on-going long term physical, psychological, cognitive and behavioral rehabilitation opportunities for Survivors of brain injury and to assist families and outside Care Facility staff in learning and adapting appropriate interaction techniques to curb and/or alleviate negative behavioral issues and concerns.

What makes the Cognitive Enhancement Center program unique from other newly founded and existing day programs in the area, is its’ staff/Participant relationship and interaction methods and practices. These methods and practices assist in creating a community atmosphere, and a positive, fun, supported and relaxed environment. This milieu facilitates independence, autonomy, empowerment and inclusion which in turn drives the survivor to continue in the Program, allowing the greatest long- term rehabilitation opportunities possible.

The specialized Staff at the Cognitive Enhancement Center understands the physical, emotional, psychological, and cognitive issues that face many survivors of brain injury. We believe this knowledge coupled with our outstanding relationship building and interaction practices, makes the Cognitive Enhancement Center Program second to none.

Click on Picture below to view enlarged group photo

BE OPEN IN RECOGNIZING THEIR GIFTS

In 1963, when I was just a two year old boy and the youngest of my family, my only brother Chuck, twelve at the time, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury while playing little league baseball. That fateful day shaped the rest of my life in an extraordinary way.

My immediate and extended family was impacted extremely negatively by the accident and termed it as a tremendous loss. They had all lost the essence of a brother, cousin, nephew, son and grandson. To this day they had wished the decision had been made to let my brother go. To let him die. Although I empathized with my family, I also felt offended with a strong sense of betrayal; that they felt his life had turned tragic and meaningless; that Chuck’s life was purposeless; that it had lost its value. I feel sad for my family. They had missed out on many of Chuck’s wonderful gifts and all he offered.

I, on the other hand, had felt no loss as I was too young to remember him before the accident. To me, Chuck was a whole human being. He was kind, loving, giving, easygoing, funny and happy. Yet, he could be ornery, forgetful, somewhat socially inappropriate, intense and angry at times. But to me, this big, protective guy with all his ideocincrecies was my big brother and had been no one else.

At two years old, I didn’t recall his infant- like physical, cognitive, psychological and emotional state like the others. Chuck had to start all over again, and to the complete surprise of doctors, he did. The family story is, at two, I was playing on the grass at our family’s home. Chuck was gazing out his second story bedroom window and saw me playing in the yard. His first spoken word after his accident was Braddie. He soon learned again to walk, talk, eat, and everything else we may all take for granted. He became physically intact and soon was a fairly high functioning survivor. He drove a car, worked day jobs in the community and eventually married at age 33. Later, due to complications from his injury, he lived in the care facility I owned from 1996 until 2003.

Sadly, my brother Chuck passed away at home in my facility in 2001. I feel extremely blessed I was his little brother, friend, rival at times and caregiver. His gifts to me remain endless. His life has shaped me into a sensitive, compassionate, empathetic, and caring man with a true esoteric knowledge of the complex long-term rehabilitation and human needs of survivors of brain injury. I feel I also hold that same esoteric knowledge in understanding the often difficult psychological and emotional challenges families face each day in caring for a survivor. I move forward in my professional life with intense purpose and a boundless determination to make a positive impact on the brain injury community.

Each day at the Center I witness different facets of some of Chuck’s behavioral traits through several of our Participants. I am profoundly comforted by this and in knowing my brother is with me, is proud of me, and is pleased in knowing what an extremely positive, purposeful impact his life is having on the world.

The Cognitive Enhancement Center was founded in honor of and dedicated to the gifts, life and memory of my big brother, Chuck Loftis. Forever in our hearts.

December 26, 1950 – January 10, 2001

15705 S.E. Powell Blvd.

Portland OR 97236

503-760-0425

"Brain injury survivors have needed a program such as the Cognitive Enhancement Center. At this point, no other program exists in the Pacific Northwest to address the needs of survivors at this level. I am very excited about the opportunities this center offers and how that it is the final step in the long continuum of care brain injury survivors need to foster independence, improve self esteem and develop friendships and relationships in a healthy environment. It is for this reason, that I am proud to include the Cognitive Enhancement Center in the NeuroNet Centers of Excellence network of services for brain injury survivors."

-Kristi Schaefer, RN
President and CEO. NeuroNet LLC.

Why is the C.E.C. long-term therapeutic day program so vital for survivors of acquired brain injury?

Soon after an acquired brain injury, a survivor may have the opportunity to utilize acute and post-acute rehabilitation services. However, typically these services are only available for a period of four to eight weeks, at which time; it becomes necessary to discontinue therapies. Discontinuance of treatment largely occurs due to the individual’s inability to make measurable therapeutic gains. (Has reached a plateau)

Treatment may begin again at a later time should the individual be re-evaluated having shown measurable improvement. This improvement may be obtained from the assistance of therapists providing out-patient therapy, family members facilitating in-home therapy, care facility staff, and/or simply time and the natural healing process. However, often these settings cannot provide the survivor with enough consistent daily therapeutic activity to acquire these gains, making measurable gains slow and even non-existent.

The Cognitive Enhancement Center offers two, three, and four day a week attendance for Participants, five hours daily providing consistent therapeutic activity. When possible, our specialized staff work in conjunction with out-patient physical, occupational and speech therapists to adapt their written in-home therapy plans into the survivors individualized C.E.C. Program Plan which often includes: emotional and behavioral support, cognitive and memory training, therapeutic recreational activity, physical exercise program, in-house and community outing social and behavioral support and training, and life skills training to name just a few. This well rounded over-all program provides our participants with the best opportunities possible to obtain measurable gains in many challenging areas of their lives addressing numerous issues they often experience.

After an outpatient therapist re-evaluation, some of our participants are re-instated to traditional therapy facilitators and once again, earn typically four to eight weeks of therapy sessions utilizing more advanced therapies. This occurs usually after 3 to 4 months of participation at C.E.C. and after exhibiting measurable improvement in their Program. These advanced therapist developed exercises are again included in the Participant’s over-all individualized C.E.C. Program Plan. This “building block” method of rehabilitation is repeated for as many months or years as needed allowing the C.E.C. Participant the greatest continued rehabilitation opportunities possible.

To no fault of therapists, Survivors can easily tire of continued traditional therapy, (The medical model of rehab) due to the many physical, cognitive and behavioral issues related to their injuries. These issues can cause them to lack sufficient motivation to participate fully or simply they will “give up” on their therapies altogether and the pursuit of improvement. Therefore, an inclusive, interdependent, and self determining method of delivering rehabilitation services for survivors of brain injury is desperately needed. This method is provided at the Cognitive Enhancement Center and is necessary especially so, in a long term rehabilitation setting.

In the C.E.C. long term rehabilitation setting, positive, reciprocated, long standing relationships are developed between C.E.C. Staff and Participants. Our staff promote micro/macro change, focus on capacity not deficiency, promote individualized programs be driven by the Participant and strongly stress the building and nurturing of relationships. These relationships spawn hope, trust, purpose, enthusiastic cooperation and motivation for the survivor to continue in the Program. Continued participation allows them opportunities to improve at a comfortable, consistent, self determined pace, doing so in a positive, encouraging, pressure free environment. These methods generate eagerness for the survivor to not only participate in beneficial non-traditional therapeutic activity, but also traditional out-patient therapist developed home therapies offered at the Center, facilitated by C.E.C. staff.

The Cognitive Enhancement Center will meet or exceed the standards set by
the National Adult Day Services Association
 

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