Traumatic Brain Injury:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a physical injury to the brain, ranging from penetrating injuries to mild concussive injuries, caused by explosions or blows to the head and associated with decreased levels of consciousness and amnesia.
TBI can result in headache, irritability, imbalance, dizziness, inattention, fatigue, sleep disturbance, decreased coordination, visual and auditory impairments, memory impairments, difficulty with organizing and sequencing activities, difficulty with decision making, decreased frustration tolerance, increased impulsive behaviors, and difficulty with returning to military and civilian roles and engaging in valued activities.
The role of an occupational therapist in treating service members with TBI is to promote independence and re-engagement in valued roles and occupations. The OT can educate military personnel and family members on the use of compensatory techniques, environmental adaptations, cognitive retraining exercises, and developing effective schedules and routines. The OT can teach military personnel and family members coping strategies to deal with behavioral changes, and assist service members with relearning social skills and developing fulfilling and meaningful leisure activities.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a physical injury to the brain, ranging from penetrating injuries to mild concussive injuries, caused by explosions or blows to the head and associated with decreased levels of consciousness and amnesia.
TBI can result in headache, irritability, imbalance, dizziness, inattention, fatigue, sleep disturbance, decreased coordination, visual and auditory impairments, memory impairments, difficulty with organizing and sequencing activities, difficulty with decision making, decreased frustration tolerance, increased impulsive behaviors, and difficulty with returning to military and civilian roles and engaging in valued activities.
The role of an occupational therapist in treating service members with TBI is to promote independence and re-engagement in valued roles and occupations. The OT can educate military personnel and family members on the use of compensatory techniques, environmental adaptations, cognitive retraining exercises, and developing effective schedules and routines. The OT can teach military personnel and family members coping strategies to deal with behavioral changes, and assist service members with relearning social skills and developing fulfilling and meaningful leisure activities.