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M e n u
Brain
Injury Characteristics
Coma
Definitions and Causes
Some statistics about brain injury
Results of a brain injury
Living Life! - After a Brain Injury
Seven things families need to remember
Acquired brain injury is an injury to
the brain that is not hereditary, present at birth, or degenerative.
Causes include traumatic brain injury; anoxic/hypoxic injury (e.g.
heart attack, carbon monoxide poisoning), intracranial surgery,
seizure disorders and toxic exposure (e.g. substance abuse,
ingestion or inhalation of volatile agents).
Traumatic brain injury with or
without skull fracture is an insult to the brain caused by an
external physical force that may produce a diminished or altered
state of consciousness.
Brain injury may result in an
impairment of cognitive abilities (e.g. perception, memory, or
judgment), physical, behavioral or emotional functioning. A brain
injury may be either temporary or permanent and may cause either
partial or total functional impairment.
Mild brain injury, also known as
concussion is an injury that may leave the person feeling dazed or
cause a brief loss of consciousness.
Mild brain injury can lead to
"post-concussion syndrome" that can include headaches, dizziness,
mild mental slowing, and fatigue. For some people, symptoms may last
only a few months; for others, problems may persist indefinitely.
Brain Injury
Characteristics:
Just as each individuals is unique,
so is each brain injury. Physical disabilities, impaired learning
and personality changes are common. Frequently reported problems
include:
- Physical:
Speech, Hearing, Paralysis, Headaches, Vision, Seizure Disorder,
Muscle Spasticity, Reduced Endurance.
- Cognitive Impairments:
Concentration, Attention, Perceptions, Planning, Communication,
Writing Skills, Short Term Memory, Long Term Memory, Judgment,
sequencing, Reading Skills, Orientation.
- Behavioral / Emotional Changes:
Fatigue, Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Restlessness, Agitation, Mood
Swings, Excessive Emotions, Depression, Sexual Dysfunction, Lack
of Motivation, Inability to Cope, Self-Centeredness.
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COMA
Coma is defined as a prolonged state
of unconsciousness. The person does not respond to external stimuli.
There is no speech, the eyes are closed, and the person cannot obey
commands.
What Causes Coma:
More than 50% of the coma cases are
due to trauma to the head or circulatory disruptions the brain.
How Long Does Coma Last:
Coma can last from hours to days,
depending on the severity of the brain damage. It is possible for a
person to remain in a comatose state for months or even years.
Can Medication Help:
Presently, there are no known
medications that will shorten the length of coma. There are some
medications that will be used to deepen the level of unconsciousness
while others will be used to temporarily paralyze the body. The
medicines given are for well being of the comatose person.
Can They Move, Hear, Or
Feel Pain:
A person in coma cannot obey
commands; however, they may move in response to touch, pain, or
their own movements. A person in coma may respond to pain by moving
or groaning, but usually they have no recall of pain. Some people in
coma may appear to be able to hear and understand by squeezing a
hand, sucking, responding to touch, or calming down when a familiar
voice is heard. Since most persons in coma cannot recall the period
of unconsciousness, it is not possible to determine if the comatose
person could actually hear and understand. A good rule to follow is,
to talk to, and about the person as if they could hear and
understand you.
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Definitions and Causes
The Brain Injury Association of
America defines an acquired brain injury as an injury to the brain
that has occurred after birth and “which is not hereditary,
congenital or degenerative.” A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an
acquired brain injury that is “caused by an external physical force
that may produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness.”
The most common causes of TBI are vehicle crashes, falls, sports
injuries, and violence. Other acquired brain injuries can be caused
by medical events such as anoxia (loss of oxygen to the brain),
aneurysms, infections to the brain, tumors, or stroke.
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Some statistics about brain
injury
According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (2001):
- 1.5 million Americans sustain a
traumatic brain injury every year.
- Each year, 80,000 Americans
experience the onset of long-term disability following TBI.
- More than 50,000 people die every
year as a result of TBI.
- Every year, over 1.5 million
Americans sustains a traumatic brain injury.
- Among those who survive, 80,000
people per year must learn to cope with lifelong losses of
function.
- 5.3 Million Americans - 2% of the
U.S. population currently live with disabilities resulting from a
brain injury.
- Motor vehicle accidents cause 44%
of brain injuries; falls, 26%; assaults and firearms, 17%; sports
and recreation and other, 13%.
- An estimated 200,000 children are
hospitalized each year with brain trauma and 30,000 sustain
permanent disabilities.
- Every year in the U.S., 50,000
children sustain bicycle-related brain injuries; of those, over
400 die.
- Males are twice as likely to
sustain a brain injury than females, and young men between the
ages of 15 and 24 have the highest rate of injury.
- Every year, 50,000 Americans will
die as a result of a traumatic brain injury.
In the time it took you to
read these facts, at least two more Americans sustained a traumatic
brain injury. For additional national statistics, go to the
CDC website:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/fact_book/29_Traumatic_Brain_Injury.htm
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Results of a brain injury
Whatever the cause, a brain injury
can, according to the Brain Injury Association of America, result in
“an impairment of cognitive abilities or physical functioning. It
can also result in the disturbance of behavioral or emotional
functioning.” Cognitive consequences can include memory loss, slowed
ability to process information, trouble concentrating,
organizational problems, poor judgment, difficulty initiating
activities, among others. Physical consequences can include
seizures, muscle spasticity, fatigue, headaches, balance problems,
among others. Emotional/behavioral consequences can include
depression, mood swings, anxiety, impulsivity, agitation, among
others.
Brain injury affects not only the
individual, but the family, close friends, coworkers and other
social networks of the individual as well. Roles and relationships
change; the financial ramifications may be extensive.
The Brain Injury Association of
America National Office has an extensive website, with more information about the
causes of brain injury, statistics, consequences, numerous resources
and links. Visit the Brain Injury Association of America on the web
at: http://www.biausa.org
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Living Life! -After a Brain
Injury
The experiences of the brain injured
and their families have taught us a lot over the past several
decades. In this section, we wish to share with you some of what we
have learned about the new lives we are leading. There is indeed
life! It is different, sometimes radically different, than life
before the "Trauma" and most of us still draw a dividing line at
that point in time. What's important to know is that that line
doesn't stop JOY.
It does not stop GROWTH. It does not
stop LAUGHTER and, in fact, many of us have come to realize that
there is no area of life in which we cannot lay claim to things we
have always valued. For some of us, the "Trauma" is seen in
retrospect as a crucial turning point that led us to lives more
fulfilling, more giving and more utilizing of our talents than we
could ever have dreamed of before the trauma. We strive to share the
kinds of things that people all over the world are sharing through
support groups, family get-togethers and midnight phone calls. The
tone of some of the personal stories we'll be adding to this site
may be at times sweet, and at it other times extremely raw. The flip
side of JOY, GROWTH and LAUGHTER could be described as Depression,
Agony and Tears and life has brought us copious quantities of ALL of
these things. That seems to be one of Life's jobs. Ours is to help
each other through it ADJUSTMENT TO DISABILITY
- Brain injury can be a catastrophic
event which dramatically changes a person and their family. A host
of emotional responses may result. Over time, people often find
that they adjust to the changes created by the brain injury.
Adjustment doesn't mean that people are happy about changes,
rather, it means that they recognize that they cannot be changed,
and rather than struggle toward the impossible, begin to set goals
and make decisions based on the new self.
- The person who has sustained the
brain injury often must develop a new sense of self, and the
family must develop a new vision of who the person is. This is a
gradual evolutionary process which can be different for each
individual and family.
- For the person with a brain
injury, learning what a brain injury is, identifying the changes
the injury has caused, and ultimately, adjusting to the new
limitations resulting from the brain injury can be a challenging
and difficult, but often necessary process.
- Family members often experience a
similar process, and have the dual challenges of changing their
vision of the person with a brain injury at the same time as the
family is redefined and their role in it changes, too.
- Three general types of individuals
and family intervention have been identified and may be helpful at
different stages of recovery: Information and education; support,
problem-solving, and restructuring, and formal therapy.
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Seven things families need
to remember
- Reinforce the behaviors you would
like to see increase. Like a garden "water the behaviors you'd
like to grow."
- When safety is not an issue,
ignore the behavior you would like to decrease.
- Model the behaviors you would like
to see.
- Avoid situations that provoke
behaviors you are trying to reduce.
- Structure the environment, use
cues for positive behaviors. Plan rest periods.
- Redirect the person rather than
challenging them.
- Seek professional help sooner than
later.
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