When a person sustains a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) — in most cases families face some of their toughest challenges after the immediate palliative procedures are complete. The patient goes through acute care, an inpatient rehabilitation program, and then may be discharged to their home.
In some cases, if they are medically unstable they are required to stay at post-acute settings and also receive outpatient rehabilitation. In some cases, patients who might never be able to function safely and independently in their homes are moved to specialist centres and usually this becomes their permanent homes.
In some cases, family are torn between living their own life and accompanying their loved one to various medical appointments. Patients with TBI are prone to emotional disturbances, outburst, depression to frustration to extreme rage.
Physiotherapists sometimes spends hours with patients and their families, which could be intense one to one sessions that gives a glimpse into patient’s current lives and a hint of how things were before this terrible episode, which now dictates every aspect of their lives.
Road to recovery may be long term with some patients. The sheer complexity of the brain means the process of restoring patients physical health back to normality after acquired brain injury can take time and patience.
The aim of rehabilitation is to give patients as much independence as possible, giving them the very best chance of improving through different treatments. Working on improving their skills they may be struggling with, through hydrotherapy, land based treatment, electrical muscle stimulation etc. In many cases the experts may offer much more to assists patients to attain maximum independence.
Road to recovery following traumatic brain injury
