Traumatic Brain Injury: Living with TBI and the effects on individual and caregivers Traumatic Brain Injury is otherwise known as TBI. “Traumatic brain injury, a form of acquired brain injury, occurs when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue” (NINDS, 2010). There are two main types of TBI, closed head injuries such as head hitting a windshield and penetrating head injuries such as a gunshot wound. As reported by the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation,” The severity of traumatic brain injuries is often assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale, with scores ranging from 3 to 15. The higher the score, …show more content…
How families deal with TBI and their loved ones Not only is the survivor affected by TBI but it also causes a burden on the family and caregivers. Ms. Nirupama Shankar is a physical therapist who stated, “for families, living with someone they don’t recognize any more, being pushed suddenly into the role of a caregiver, and dealing with all the emotional ups and downs of the patient takes a physical and emotional toll (2008)”. Both caregiver and patient have to undergo an enormous amount of rehabilitation depending upon the severity of the TBI. Personally our family has had to make some life changing routines such as attend support groups, contacting state representatives, helping coordinate fund raisers, attending survivor’s camps, etc. to help support our son. Along with TBI, there is an increase in the possibility of having seizures. Between doctors visits, medication reminders and refills, and daily caring for the patient the family has to restructure their daily routines in order to accommodate the care.
What help is available?
There are several national and local support groups available to help families deal with their life changes. Nationally there is the Brain Injury Association of America who is a “ leading national organization serving and representing individuals, families and professionals who are touched by a life-altering, often devastating, traumatic brain injury” (2010).
Football players risk their lives every time they walk onto the field. Although, some players do not see the risk, because no one has informed them of the consequence. They are not aware that their next football game might be their last game or that their small headache could, in fact, be the beginning of a traumatic brain injury. The coaches are fixated on winning the game and they lose focus of their main priority, their players safety. Due to their lack of knowledge, the players do not receive proper treatment and continue to play. Acting as if nothing is wrong, they go to school and find themselves forgetting where their class is. Memory loss is one of the many symptoms associated with a traumatic brain injury, or concussion. A concussion can be caused by one traumatic impact or many minor blows to the head; also, in some cases, it can be fatal. Preventing concussions is vitally important to ensure the safety of athletes in the future.
A traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) occurs when the brain is somehow injured, rattled, or wounded from an external source of force. The means of acquisition and the severity of TBIs are unique to each patient; therefore, symptoms and rehabilitation can vary greatly depending on the patient’s condition following the incident and how they sustained the injury. The severity of a TBI is generally classified into one of three categories: mild, moderate, or severe, and this type of diagnostic criteria influences how a patient with TBI is treated by medical staff and rehabilitation specialists. TBIs can affect a specific part of the brain that was directly impacted, leaving the patients with only one or a few areas of impairment, or the damage can
Traumatic brain injury in general is characterized by the changes in brain function due to some sort of a biomechanical force induced by either directly or indirectly as a hit or blow to the head (Facts and Prevention, 2015). Mild traumatic brain injury, which will be considered as equivalent term with concussion, was defined by the International Conference on Concussion in Sport as a complex pathophysiological process induced by biomechanical forces (Mccrory et al., 2013). This penetrating head injury will disrupt the normal function of the brain. The cause of sports-related brain injury can be induced by a direct or indirect blow to the head. Injury can also be caused by the force of impulse due to impacts on other parts of the body being
The human brain is extremely fragile and “any bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain” is considered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) (CDC quote). As an inpatient rehabilitation nurse, TBI 's are a large percentage of the patient population and are continuously growing. All brain injuries are different and unique from one another, but brain injuries could affect everything from a person’s memory and reasoning, to their sensations, their ability to communicate, or even their personalities or feelings. Brainline.org is a website that was found through Google and is made available for the public to offer information and resources “about preventing, treating, and living with TBI” (about us). BrainLine states that their purpose is to serve those who have been affected by TBI, either it be the person themselves, their families, or the healthcare professionals caring for them. (BrainLine).
A traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) occurs when the brain is somehow injured, rattled, or wounded from an external source of force. The means of acquisition and the severity of TBIs are unique to each patient; therefore, symptoms and rehabilitation can vary greatly depending on the patient’s condition following the incident and how they sustained the injury. The severity of a TBI is generally classified into one of three categories: mild, moderate, or severe, and this type of diagnostic criteria influences how a patient with TBI is treated by medical staff and rehabilitation specialists. TBIs can affect a specific part of the brain that was directly impacted, leaving the patients with only one or a few areas of impairment, or the damage can
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the military are a tangible threat to the men and women of the United States military. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have created a spotlight on this injury, as the “signature injury”. Specific criteria makeup the definition of a TBI, which is certain symptoms and severity levels of those symptoms. Due to the capacity of this injury, the Department of Defense (DoD) and Congress have created mandates, along with treatment methods, and the ability to achieve an end goal of aiding an individual’s complete recovery.
The brain is vulnerable, and is susceptible to mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs). A person’s head jerks forward and back; this rapid change in acceleration causes a concussion because of impact. Examples of impact injuries that frequently occur in athletics are collisions, falls, and bumps to the head. Regardless of how a person sustains a concussion, her brain collides with ridges in her skull. Although the purpose of a skull is to protect the brain; the fusion of bones in a person’s skull creates ridges, and these ridges damage the brain upon impact. When a person’s brain is shaken up, the sharp ridges damage the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes (Hirsch & Kaufman, 1975).
According to the Center for Disease Control, traumatic brain injuries contribute to about 30% of all injury deaths. Traumatic brain injuries are classified as “severe” or “mild”. The most common type of TBI is mild and called a concussion. The CDC estimates 2.8 billion emergency
There were many vital decisions that needed to be made during this 3-month time frame that it took to see a specialist in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Unfortunately, the vital decisions that needed to be made in my recovery were put off until I saw a specialized physician that could properly make those decisions. Therefore, this prolonged my recovery and did not allow me to have the proper resources to get better. Once I was finally able to see different specialists in Albuquerque the care was still not at the level I needed for my injury. My injury was complex and was ultimately unable to be treated by doctors in New Mexico. In my desperation to get better, I began researching online for alternative treatments outside the state of New Mexico. I eventually discovered a Health Center in Dallas, Texas, which specializes in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. There, I was fortunate to have a dedicated team of specialists effectively treat my post-concussive
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has affected many people, but has hardly raised awareness; in fact according to Marcia Clemmitt “About 1.7 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year…Yet, while they affect so many people, TBI has received little medical-research funding until brain injuries from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan … began to mount in recent years.”(Clemmitt) For such a long time many people were unaware of what traumatic brain injury even meant; Up until a numerous groups of veterans that came back home, from Afghanistan were found to suffer from traumatic brain injuries. Due to the discovery, the people that already suffered from traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a worldwide health problem that can lead to death or long-term disability even in people with mild TBI, especially in young population (Menon et al., 2010). More than 1.3 million visits to emergency department in the United States report for TBI (Faul et al., 2010). TBI can lead to sundry impairments and disabilities in physical , functional, cognitive, emotional and social realms which remarkably reduce health-related quality of life(HRQL) (Scholten et al., 2015: Andelic et al., 2009). TBI can be classified according to it severity into mild-moderate and sever TBI. Mild TBI (MTBI) also termed concussion score for over 77% of the entire reported TBI cases in the United States. About 40% of these cases are frequently
A traumatic brain injury, often referred to as TBI, occurs when an acute, intense amount of force from outside the cranium causes a traumatic injury to the brain. Traumatic brain injuries pose potentially unlimited post-trauma hurdles and impediments to both the patient and their family. One of the more difficult potential impediments to be faced in the wake of a traumatic brain injury is the development of a new psychiatric disorder. In fact, the prevalence of psychiatric disorders is three times more likely in patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury than those who have not (Garcia, 2001, Para 2). There have been numerous studies into the correlation between traumatic brain injuries and the development of new psychiatric disorders; however, the link between the two is still
Traumatic brain injury (TBI), or intracranial injury, is a medical diagnosis which refers to closed or penetrative damage to the brain that is caused by an external source. Every year, TBIs affect approximately 150-250 people in a population of 100,000 (León-Carrión, Domínguez-Morales, Martín, & Murillo-Cabezas, 2005). The leading causes of TBI are traffic accidents, work injuries, sports injuries, and extreme violence (León-Carrión et al., 2005). TBI is most often fatal when the cause is an injury due to the use of firearms, a traffic accident, or a long fall (León-Carrión et al., 2005). However, fatality rates and rates of occurrence differ in various countries due to
A brain injury can change a family’s functionality, balance, its dynamics, harmony and landscape forever. “It has been said, that although we may not have physically lost the person, there is often the loss of the person we once new”. Losing someone you care for can be painful, however when it comes to brain injury, we live with a living reminder of that loss each day. Support for families who live with, care for and provide structured support to a survivor is an area often overlooked, underfunded and needing more attention and focus.
On April 25th, I facilitated SOAR’s Brain Injury Support Group with the assistance of SOAR’s Outreach Coordinator. On this day, the brain injury support group split up into two sections the participants and the family members. I facilitated the group with the family members. Before I began the session, I informed the family members about the importance of confidentiality and not interrupting other members in the group. I began the session by asking everyone how they were doing that day just to get the session going. I also expressed that during the group the importance of self-care would be discussed. Due to their care taking responsibilities, family members of individuals with brain injuries may not be aware of the importance of self-care.