When it comes to traumatic brain injuries, hope takes time and commitment. Luckily, there are specific types of tools and therapies available for people with traumatic brain injuries. These include:
physical therapy
occupational therapy
speech therapy
cognitive therapy
Before I do a deep dive into these options, I want to tell you a story about a gentleman who came to us for help who had a traumatic brain injury.
The impact on this gentleman’s life was severe and unfortunately had to move back with his family so that they could care for him. Initially, they couldn’t figure out how to best do that and they were losing hope.
Fortunately, we had him undergo some neuropsychological testing, which is a very unique, specific type of testing. With this testing, we were able to determine what was exactly wrong, what could this person not do, and what kind of therapy did they need.
After the neuropsychological testing, we were able to prepare a Life Care Plan, which is similar to a roadmap of the therapies and the treatments that were needed for this individual, providing the family with some hope on making his life better.
What Is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy deals with physical strength, coordination, and flexibility because sometimes the physical body will suffer as a result of the traumatic brain injury in a variety of ways.
What Is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy is when the TBI patient learns or relearns how to perform daily tasks like getting dressed, cooking, or bathing.
What Is Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy helps the person with their ability to form words and other communication skills, which may be important for the day to day conversations that the person has. For example, if special communication devices are needed to help that person, then speech therapy is the right fit.
What Is Cognitive Therapy?
Perhaps the most common therapy for TBI victims is cognitive therapy which involves activities that are designed to improve the person’s memory, judgment, perception, and more.
No one type of therapy is best for one specific type of patient because often there are a blend of therapies that are important to the victim’s recovery. The most important thing to find out which therapy or therapies is the best fit and to undergo testing to determine what exactly are the deficits or problems that are the most severe for that person and to have these conducted by a professional.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me. If I can’t help you, I’ll try to point you in the direction of a place where you can find some hope and get a roadmap for how to equip the TBI patient with skills to make their quality of life better and easier.
