Challenges after Brain Injury

Acquired Brain Injury – “Acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment or both. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or brain injuries induced by birth trauma.” IDEA, 1994

Some of the Long-Term Consequences of Acquired Brain Injury Cognitive (Thinking Skills)

• Reduced short-term and long-term memory
• Changes in arousal, attention and concentration
• Reduced initiation, planning and execution of new activities
• Reduced problem solving and judgment using good reasoning (trouble making decisions)
• Limited insight into difficulties and/or changes in behavior
• Think more slowly than before the trauma
• Disoriented in familiar and/or new situations (more confused)
• Tendency to get stuck on one action or comment(do or say it over and over)
• Low frustration tolerance
• Tires more easily

Communication (Talking, Listening and Interacting)

• Process the information you hear more slowly
• Speech may be slowed and labored
• Muscles of the face may be weakened or paralyzed making sounds unclear
• Difficulty coming up with the right word when you need it
• Frequent use of fillers, such as “UM” “YEA” “OH” to fill empty spaces in conversation
• Trouble with reading and/or writing
• Thoughts are disorganized, persons seems “all over the place”
• Person interrupts more, is unaware social rules of conversation, more profanity, talks a lot, loses train of thought, fails to make eye contact and/or speaks of unrelated information

Psychosocial Difficulties

• Trouble adjusting to life after brain injury
• Struggling with grief, loss and change
• Anxiety, fearfulness, increased worries
• Feelings of sadness/depression
• Loss of Social Networks, feeling all alone, losing friends
• Changes in behavior, personality
• Denial of difficulties
• Tendency to be impulsive (act without thinking first)
• Verbal, Physical and/or Sexual Difficulties and/or Aggression
• Agitation, low frustration tolerance and irritability “Short Fuse”
• Conflict in the family about taking care of the individual’s changing needs
• Work difficulties

Other Common Signs of a Brain Injury

• Headaches, sleep problems, changes in vision or taste and problems with pain and/or balance

It is common for individuals to experience difficulties months after an accident and not associate your difficulties with that accident where you bumped your head or had “whiplash.” If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms after an accident or fall, there is someone you can call who will understand.