Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Living with a Brain Injury
Dealing with a family member who has a brain injury can be a difficult experience, but there are several things you can do to make the situation easier for everyone involved.
A brain injury can take many forms, but its impact is almost always devastating on a family.
Types of Brain Injury
There are two basic types of brain injury:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI), and
- Acquired brain injury (ABI).
Traumatic injuries are caused by external force, whereas acquired injuries develop on a cellular level, and can be caused by things like tumors.
Neither of these conditions are degenerative, although they must be treated in different ways.
For example, the most common type of traumatic head injury is a concussion, and it is crucial to make sure that the person doesn’t suffer another similar injury before the concussion is healed. This can cause the potentially deadly second-impact syndrome, so keeping the patient comfortable and out of situations that can be dangerous is key.
Here, we’ll take a look at various types of treatment for both traumatic brain injury (TBI) and acquired brain damage (ABI), as well as some information you can use to make your family member more comfortable.
Treatments for Brain Trauma
If you have a family member with brain trauma, then considering a type of treatment called snoezelen may be an option.
Snoezelen is also called controlled multisensory stimulation, and consists of exposing children to a soothing and stimulating environment.
Patients in an environment such as this experience roughly a 50% reduction in distress and a 75% reduction in aggressive and self-destructive behavior.
Coping with the Consequences of a Brain Injury
The most important aspect of living with someone who suffers from a brain injury is to always remain patient and accommodating, especially with younger children.
People with brain injury may even suffer from a change in personality, and may become irritable, impatient, sluggish, or any number of different behavioral symptoms.
Taking these symptoms in stride is a large part of dealing with brain damage, and since some brain injuries may require extensive surgery or may be irreparable, it is important to make sure the family member or loved one feels emotionally supported.
Brain injury patients may lose their temper for little or no reason, and may even exhibit violent behavior – this can often be reduced through therapy sessions, and being present at these sessions is a good way to bond with the person undergoing the treatment. There are also some medications that can help those with brain injuries stay calm in stressful environments.
If you or a loved one has suffered a debilitating brain injury as the result of negligence, contact us today for a free consultation and speak with an experienced Boston personal injury attorney who can explain your legal rights and options.
Call now for a Free Consultation: 1-888-208-1695.
