Brain Injury Rehabilitation – Thorough Rehab Is A Must
Suffering from a brain injury can be an incredibly traumatic and worrying experience. Depending upon the severity of the injury, a potentially long treatment process can follow, which can leave some feeling frustrated and depressed.
However, this process of rehabilitation must be thorough to maximize and certainly improve the odds of a full recovery. That’s why it’s so important to be patient and persevere during this time. Lets me walk you through why long-term rehabilitation beyond the initial hospital stay, is so important to recovering quality of life for those struck by TBI.
Long-Term Rehabilitation After Brain Injury
The brain is at the core of all of our functions. It controls and regulates our bodies, our minds, and our emotions (at least that’s where they reside). It’s no surprise then that any sort of physical trauma to the brain could result in some sort of disruption or even complete loss of body/mind function.
Brain injuries can also alter emotions and thinking patterns resulting in uncharacteristic behavior. Fortunately for us though, the brain is very plastic, or flexible.
With a proper program in place, caregivers can help TBI sufferers re-teach their brains to once again perform those lost functions. This part of rehabilitation can be a long, grueling process but in most cases will return some or full function to the patient.
Rehabilitation Programs
So just what exactly does a brain injury rehabilitation program look like? Well, there is of course no silver bullet in treating TBI, there are just too many variables. A program has to be custom designed for each individual patient by an inter-disciplinary group of caregivers.
This group will perform an assessment and design a comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation program that might address the patient’s physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and/or community needs. Once a program has been designed it is important to track progress. Caregivers will track and monitor different statistics or metrics at certain intervals to make sure the effort is moving in the right direction.
The family should be consulted during the planning, treatment, and discharging of the patient. It’s very important that your family be informed throughout the rehabilitation process and that they voice any concerns immediately.
Hear From A TBI Survivor
In 1998, Laura Bruno, a registered nurse from Arizona was involved in a horrible car accident. As a result, Laura suffered a severe traumatic brain injury that left her with, among other ailments, double vision, paralyzing migraines, and an IQ reduction of 47 points. She chronicles her difficulties in managing her TBI and her unbelievable recovery. In this eBook, she shares her story and strategies that helped her cope and recover. Click here for the TBI Survivor’s Guide.