Side By Side Brain Injury Clubhouse

25 Years of Service: Side by Side Injury Clubhouse Executive Director Bryan Schroeder with club members. Photo credit: Julian Buckmaster

“There was a gap in services,” says Executive Director Bryan Schroeder. “So many times after trauma treatment and rehab, people with brain injuries would just go home or go into assisted living when they still had so much to share with the world. We help them find community and purpose and live with more meaningful independence.”

Georgia’s only “brain injury clubhouse,” the organization was founded with support from Shepherd Center and Emory Healthcare. Located in the historic Stone Mountain Village, it is a cheerfully decorated venue with scenic grounds as well as a computer lab and commercial kitchen. The vibe is social and noted for its levity, with participants treated as “club members.”

“We have a work-ordered day,” Schroeder says. “Our members show up and prepare food for each other, clean, garden, handle business administration. We serve each other.”

Each member receives individualized vocational and rehabilitation counseling as well as life skills training, and their caregivers are given respite days and can participate in monthly support groups.

Side By Side, with its staff of 10, serves around 70 people a year who have experienced car wrecks, strokes, cancer, war injuries and the occasional skydiving accident.

“We very much believe in our ‘clubhouse’ model,” he says. “Members are the ones in charge, with guidance and support.”

Brain injuries can be treated but are never really “cured,” he notes, adding that March is brain injury awareness month.

“People living with brain injuries have a myriad of issues that can be episodic, recurring or permanent, but the brain injury always remains so ongoing care is needed,” Schroeder says.