For a person after a brain injury, the ability to do routine tasks or activities can no longer be accomplished on an automatic level. Depending on the severity of the injury, tasks such as getting dressed, showering, doing laundry or making a cup of coffee can be too difficult to complete.
A person may be unable to plan the day, forget to walk the dog, or forget an appointment that was scheduled. As traumatic brain injury survivors often do not have a visible disability, family members and friends dealing with the aftermath can find it very difficult to understand what is happening.
Compounding the difficulty, the survivor themselves often have no insight into the residual deficits. There are some simple ways to help a TBI survivor to cope and develop skills to minimize and adapt to their deficits providing there is a willingness to try.
Poor Memory a Significant Brain Injury Effect
As Dr. Glen Johnson notes in his 1998 online book, Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide, "Impaired memory is one of the universal problems of people with a head injury." Use of a portable day planner (i.e. one that can fit in a pocket or handbag) is perhaps the single most important skill to learn for a TBI survivor. As poor short term memory is a consistent result of a brain injury, writing down appointments, including such things as phone calls to be made is an important tool.
Learning to regularly check the day planner requires consistent prompting until checking the book becomes habitual.
Use a Large Wall Calendar for Visual Cues
In addition to a day planner, a large, easily readable wall calendar provides a visual overview of the week and month ahead. It can prevent over-booking of activities. Too many activities or appointments can be over-whelming for a TBI survivor, leading to anxiety and ineffective coping.
Having a visual of the month will also encourage planning ahead which can also be a problem area post-injury.
Sequencing Activities for TBI
Simple tasks such as showering, brushing teeth or preparing breakfast can be overwhelming. There are a surprising number of steps required to complete these tasks and the brain needs to relearn the sequence of events post-injury.
Making a simplified list of the activity that can be checked off as the TBI survivor completes each step allows the person to stay in control of the process.
An example of a task breakdown may look like this:
Brush teeth:
- Go into the bathroom.
- Pick up toothbrush.
- Apply toothpaste.
- Wet the brush under running water.
- Brush teeth for one minute.
- Rinse mouth out with water.
- Rinse toothbrush.
- Return toothbrush to holder.
Depending on the level of brain injury a list may look more like the following:
- Go into the bathroom.
- Have a shower.
- Select clothes for the day.
- Get dressed.
- Prepare breakfast.
- Eat breakfast.
- Brush teeth.
A checklist can be prepared any time there is a sequence of events that need to be followed.
Wrist Watch with Multiple Alarms for Person with TBI
There are a number of adaptive devices on the market to assist with memory. A person with a TBI may be on numerous medications and may require help remembering to take them. Reminders about appointments may also be necessary.
There are wristwatches and alarm systems available that allow multiple settings so the alarm will sound at regular medication times. This device enables a degree of independence to the survivor and peace of mind to family members if the TBI survivor is living independently.
Support Group for TBI Survivors and Family Members
There are many coping mechanisms and tools available that make living with a brain injury as manageable as possible. But perhaps the most significant coping tool is the support of others going through the same thing.
Sharing experiences with like-minded people can ease the burden and stigma of living in society with a brain injury. Creating a social network of people can keep loneliness at bay as losing friendships is an unfortunate, frequent repercussion of a TBI.
For family members and the survivor, becoming armed with knowledge and education about the subject can ease the burden of a very difficult situation. And the implementation of some basic cognitive tools can assist the TBI survivor to cope effectively each day.
Lorah Delaney - Lorah is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a degree in Physical Education from the University of British Columbia and a ...
