Want to learn all about Brain Injury Rehabilitation services?
Millions of people across the world experience traumatic brain injuries each year. After all, they have life-altering effects on our ability to think, move, and engage with the world around us.
The Problem:
Navigating rehabilitation services can be overwhelming. Recovering from a brain injury requires specialized care that is targeted towards your specific needs and challenges.
Without proper rehabilitation services and care, your recovery process will be much more difficult.
Brain injury rehabilitation is so much more than medical treatment… It’s a powerful approach that helps people rebuild their lives after a brain injury. I’m going to walk you through everything you need to know about brain injury rehabilitation services and how it can change recovery outcomes.
Let’s get into it.
In this guide you will discover:
- Why Brain Injury Rehabilitation Matters
- Different Types of Rehabilitation Services
- How Rehabilitation Improves Recovery Outcomes
- Choosing the Right Rehabilitation Program
Why Brain Injury Rehabilitation Matters
There are a ton of benefits to brain injury rehabilitation.
If you haven’t yet considered exploring your rehabilitation options, here are three reasons to give it some thought.
Maximizes Recovery Potential
Brain injury rehabilitation is one of the most effective methods of improving your recovery outcomes.
Why is that?
Your brain is capable of something called neuroplasticity. In other words, your brain is designed to rewire itself to work around damaged areas. When you engage in rehabilitation therapies targeted towards your injury, you’re facilitating this process.
And here’s the deal…
The more intensive your rehabilitation is, the better your long-term recovery outcomes will be.
Research shows that 85-90% of people with mild traumatic brain injuries have full recoveries within 3 months when they have access to proper care. For those with moderate to severe injuries who receive professional brain injury rehab and Treatment in Asheville, NC, the outcomes are equally encouraging.
One major 2021 study found some surprising results:
- 82% of severe TBI patients that were comatose woke up during inpatient rehabilitation.
- 40% of the comatose group reached a status of full or partial independence at the time of their discharge.
Makes sense, right?
High-quality rehabilitation care is one of the best ways to improve your:
- Functional Recovery
- Independence
- Quality of Life
Prevents Secondary Complications
Rehabilitation services can be thought of like prevention medicine for your brain.
Without brain injury rehabilitation services and care, individuals are at an increased risk of developing depression, social isolation, and cognitive decline. Rehabilitation works to prevent these from happening.
While participating in a comprehensive rehabilitation program, you’re not only working to treat the brain injury itself, you’re building up resilience against future issues.
Restores Independence
Brain injury rehabilitation services help people restore their independence.
First and foremost, rehabilitation teams can teach you compensatory strategies for everyday activities. You can learn to complete everyday tasks in new ways, even when certain brain functions may have been affected by your injury.
And because rehabilitation is so focused on real-life skills, it leads to more confidence, self-reliance, and overall life satisfaction.
What a win-win-win.
When rehabilitation includes family training, all involved parties learn how to best support you in your recovery without enabling dependency. This creates an overall environment that is supportive, while encouraging maximum independence.
Different Types of Rehabilitation Services
Brain injury rehabilitation services aren’t one size fits all.
Different people have different needs. This includes services like physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, and psychological counseling.
Each type of service targets a specific area of recovery. The trick here is to make sure that you receive the right mix of each type for your individual needs.
Types of Brain Injury Rehabilitation Programs
Let’s break down the types of rehabilitation programs that you have access to.
These programs have helped hundreds of people each year achieve improved function, better quality of life, and restored independence.
If it can help others recover… It can help you too.
Acute Rehabilitation
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about brain injury recovery… It’s that early intervention is critical.
Here’s why: During the first few months following a brain injury, your brain has the greatest potential for healing. Acute rehabilitation is when your brain is at its most responsive to therapeutic interventions.
Acute rehabilitation programs are usually done in hospital units right after the brain injury has occurred. These programs provide intensive therapy sessions 3 hours per day for six days a week.
A team of specialists will work together to create a highly individualized treatment plan targeting basic motor skills, communication abilities, cognitive functioning, and daily self-care tasks.
Post-Acute Rehabilitation
Time to graduate to the next level of brain injury rehabilitation…
Here’s the plan: After someone has completed acute rehabilitation, they will usually move onto a post-acute program. Post-acute brain injury rehabilitation services provide individuals with continued, intensive therapy in residential settings.
Bridge programs like these fall between inpatient hospital care and community living. They’re primarily focused on advanced skill development and preparation for community reintegration, vocational training, and independent living.
Outpatient Rehabilitation
Like the idea of having a more flexible schedule for your rehabilitation? Outpatient programs may be your ideal choice.
Outpatient brain injury rehabilitation is usually where most people will move on to after completing residential rehabilitation. You will receive therapy in specialized outpatient settings while maintaining your home and community life.
My two favorite strategies for successful outpatient rehabilitation are attending all sessions and home practicing.
Home-Based Rehabilitation
Some people require brain injury rehabilitation services but are unable to leave their home due to limited transportation access, rural location, or other logistical barriers.
Home-based rehabilitation programs bring specialized therapists to your home. This works because therapists can address real-world challenges in your own environment.
Day Treatment Programs
Day treatment programs provide structured rehabilitation services during the day that allows you to return home at night.
The secret to making day treatment work is developing solid routines for transportation, medication management, and home practicing.
How Rehabilitation Improves Recovery Outcomes
Rehabilitation can absolutely transform your recovery process by taking a comprehensive approach to your life areas. Rehabilitation services and care improve outcomes by utilizing neuroplasticity, building up compensatory skills, and tending to emotional health.
By optimizing your recovery in all of these areas, you can see tremendous improvements in your overall function and satisfaction with your life.
Many rehabilitation programs boast about how many of their clients exceed initial expectations. The results? Improved functional independence, better quality of life, and higher satisfaction with the recovery process overall.
Choosing the Right Rehabilitation Program
You now have all of the information about brain injury rehabilitation services that you need.
Choosing the right program will involve taking a close look at your own specific needs, goals, and circumstances.
Things to consider include injury severity, family support, insurance coverage, geographic location, and personal preferences.
Don’t want to spend time researching every program? Many people find success by working with case managers who specialize in brain injury services and can guide you through your available options.
Summing It All Up
Brain injury rehabilitation services and care provide individuals with comprehensive support needed to recover from a traumatic brain injury. Brain injury rehabilitation is critical for maximizing your recovery potential and preventing complications.
Brain injury rehabilitation success relies on early intervention, intensive programming, individualized treatment, and family involvement.
A simple place to start is by connecting with your medical team about referrals to specialized programs. However, the most important piece is starting brain injury rehabilitation services as soon as you are medically stable.
Remember… Quality rehabilitation services and care can transform your recovery outcomes and help you rebuild a meaningful, independent life after brain injury.