About Brain Injury Awareness Month
Brain Injury Awareness Month was established by the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) in March to bring awareness for people living with brain injuries. Additionally, Brain Injury Awareness Month outreach provides information to minimize future incidences of Traumatic Brain Injuries. BIAA helps businesses, communities, families and individuals to promote Brain Injury Awareness Month.
How do Brain Injuries Occur?
Brain injuries are caused by sudden trauma and/or repeated injuries to the brain. If a person’s head is hit or jolted as may happen when a person gets in an accident or is hit with a physical blow, the brain can swell and can cause damage to the tissue. In some cases, there might be a delayed development of symptoms for weeks or months after an injury.
How are Brain Injuries Diagnosed?
There are several ways to diagnose a brain injury. The most common is an MRI scan of the brain, which can detect changes in the blood supply or swelling caused by bleeding in and around the brain (a stroke). An electroencephalogram (EEG) test can also be used to detect abnormalities in electrical activity of nerve cells in the brain following a head injury. Other tests—such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—can be used to evaluate other parts of the head.
What Are the Symptoms of a Brain Injury?
The symptoms of brain injury depend on where in the brain the damage occurs, how severe it is and whether there are any other injuries that might affect it. The most common symptom in mild cases is confusion or changes in consciousness with a loss of awareness for time period immediately after an accident. In more serious cases, people may lose consciousness and have trouble speaking, walking or understanding what is being said. They may not be able to move limbs, see objects clearly or follow commands.
How Is a Brain Injury Treated?
Treatment of brain injury depends on the extent of damage and the person's general state of health before an accident occurred. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can range from mild to severe depending on where in the brain it occurs, how serious it is and if there are other injuries that might affect it.
The goal of treatment is to reduce the risk of further injury and, in severe cases, to restore function as quickly as possible. The severity of an injury depends on how much tissue is damaged or destroyed. If only a small part has been injured, supportive treatment might be enough for recovery without surgery or brain stimulation procedures that are used during surgery to repair damage to specific areas of the brain. Surgery may be needed if major parts of the brain have been damaged beyond repair such as when a large part of the brain has been removed or if the skull is broken.
If there is bleeding in an area of damaged tissue, blood might be removed through surgery to prevent further injury and loss of function. One kind of surgery used to treat TBI involves placing a device on the head that directs focused beams of sound waves at specific spots in the brain with high-frequency sounds being sent into one ear while low-frequency sounds are sent into another ear. This procedure is called cochlear implant.
In some cases, surgery may be used to insert a device into the skull to help hold it in place and prevent further injury. This procedure is called cranioplasty or an osseointegrated titanium plate (OTP). A small hole will then be drilled through the bone that was broken during TBI for insertion of a wire mesh cage that holds pieces of metal together and allows them to heal properly with bone growth around them.
After TBI, it is important to maintain good nutrition and get regular exercise. Many people with TBI can still work but they may need help at home or in the workplace because of any remaining deficits from the injury. Occupational therapists can help patients develop new skills that will allow them to do their job better while preventing future disabilities.
What Can I Expect from Rehabilitation?
Rehabilitation is a long process that can take months or years. It’s difficult to predict exactly how long the rehabilitation will last. Some people with TBI may not need any help at all, but many others will need some type of assistance for the rest of their lives. For some people, it may be possible to return to work and resume normal activities in short order after they have recovered enough cognitive abilities to do so safely. Other people may need to be cared for at home or in a nursing facility for some time. The goal of rehabilitation is to make you as independent and mobile as possible so that you can live the life you’ve been living before TBI, but without any limitations caused by your injury.
For more activities for adults with special needs, check out our blog.
About Stephen’s Place
Stephen’s Place is an independent apartment community for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, located in Vancouver, WA (7 minutes from Portland, OR).
If you have a loved one with developmental or intellectual disabilities who is looking for a community to live in, please contact us for more information.
Stephen’s Place is a private-pay apartment community due to our state-of-the-art amenities and programs. We are a nonprofit and do not profit from our community. We are private pay because we spend more than some housing communities to ensure that our residents are comfortable and can safely live their lives with independence and dignity.