Brain Injury Awareness Month

March is Brain Injury Awareness month intended to bring focus on improving the quality of life for those living with brain injury. There are over 5.3 million Americans currently affected by brain injuries. Although we tend to think of brain injury in conjunction with veterans, it affects more than just those who served in the military.

There are two types of brain injury: TBI, or traumatic brain injury, is an injury cause by an external trauma to the brain, something like a fall or a hard blow. An acquired injury is caused by an internal event such as a stroke or heart attack when oxygen to the brain has been cut off too long.

Brain injury changes how the brain works, but there are no two brain injuries that are exactly alike. If the event wasn’t drastic, there may be only temporary damage, but if it was severe enough, there may be confusion, pain, chronic headaches, an inability to process information, memory problems, mood changes or personality changes. These symptoms may take some time to appear, and some be life-long changes.

Sometimes traumatic brain injury can occur in older adults but may be identified as dementia rather than brain injury as many of the symptoms are similar. With either type of brain injury, if only mild damage occurred, it may be temporary and heal fairly quickly. If the damage was more severe, it may result in the need for long-term care rehabilitation services.

Having a brain injury may affect an individual’s ability to work. Michigan Rehabilitation Services can often help, or special accommodations may make it possible for the person to continue working.

As with other disabilities, the best way of helping someone with a brain injury is to ask what help they want or need. Being patient and not rushing the individual with a brain injury allows him or her the time needed to process thoughts.

For additional information or help identifying resources for coping with brain injury, please call Disability Network Lakeshore at 616-396-5326.