The Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Team - The Occupational Therapist

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is an important member of the treatment of brain injury teams are likely to be an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists help patients improve their ability to perform tasks in living and working environments. This type of therapy focuses on enabling individuals who suffer from mental, physical, developmental, or emotionally disabling conditions to make, and the management, activities of daily living [ADL]. ADL may include, for example only, using a computer, dressing, cooking, eating, bathing, as well as job-related tasks.

occupational therapists are highly obrazovani.Magisterij or more of the occupational therapy is the minimum requirement for entry into the field. Coursework in occupational therapy programs include physical, biological and behavioral sciences, as well as the application of occupational therapy theory and skills. The programs also require completion of six months under the supervision of the field.

occupational therapy work with individuals regardless of their age. In addition to traditional medical settings, occupational therapists can see people recovering from brain injury in the birth to three early intervention programs in public school settings, such as a job coach, and as part of the mental health community.

occupational therapist is a health professional. According to the Ohio State University web site, "Occupational therapy is a healthcare profession that uses" occupation, "or purposeful activity, to people with physical, developmental, or emotional disabilities lead independent, productive, and satisfying life." The occupational therapist assesses self-care, work and leisure skills of a person and plans and implements social and interpersonal activities to develop, restore and / or maintain a person's ability to achieve ADL.Terapeut helping to improve basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also to benefit permanent loss of function. The ultimate goal is to return a person independent, productive and satisfying life.

occupational therapists treatments range from physical to mental. Physical exercise can be used to increase strength and dexterity, while other activities may be chosen to improve visual acuity or the ability to distinguish between forms. For example, people with short term memory loss might be encouraged to think of the list for help, while people with coordination problems might be assigned exercises to improve hand-eye coordination. Occupational therapists also use computer programs that will improve decision making, abstract, reasoning, problem solving, and perceptual skills, as well as memory, sequencing and coordination, all of which are important for independent living.

Other treatments may include the use of adaptive equipment including wheelchairs, eating aids, dressing aids, design and build special equipment needed at home or at work, including computer-adaptive equipment. Classes can be used to use the equipment to improve communication and control various situations in their environment

occupational therapy is used in the treatment of traumatic brain injury [TBI] during many stages of recovery and rehabilitation. Such therapy May be involved in providing sensory, motor and positioning supports during periods of coma. As the patient improves and returns to skills, occupational therapy facilitates the process and re-teach skills from basic self-care, to complex cognitive skills such as memory and problem solving.

What should I look for in an occupational therapist?

The following is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list of questions or concerns you should have when choosing an occupational therapist, or the next target disqualify any occupational therapist you are considering, these are meant to enable to start a conversation with an occupational therapist.

1 Look for licensing as, typically, such therapists must be licensed, requiring a degree in occupational therapy, six months supervised fieldwork, and passing scores on national and state exams.

2 Working full time in their profession? More than a quarter of occupational therapists work part time.

3 How often will the therapist assess and record your activities? Progress is an important part of the occupational therapist jobs. Accurate records are essential for the assessment of clients, billing, and reporting for physicians and other health services.

4 Does the therapist specialize. Some occupational therapists may work exclusively with people in a particular age group or with certain disabilities. In the school setting, the therapist can work with children individually. Some therapists provide early intervention therapy to infants and toddlers who have or are at risk of, developmental delays. Some occupational therapists work only with older patients.

5 Will the therapist to do home visits? It is important, once you begin to re-establish their independence, to take into account the role TBI will play in dealing with their everyday životom.Radni therapist can make recommendations for adaptive equipment, training, extended driving independence, assess homes for hazards and identify environmental factors that could contribute to further injury and injury prevention.

6 Will the therapist visit, and assess, your work environment?

* American Occupational Therapy Association, 4720 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. Internet:

Copyright (c) 2008 David Bressman

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Head Injury and Concussion - How to Tell If It's Serious and When to Go to the ER!

Most of us visited the local emergency department for one or the other. It brings their elderly neighbor ER after a fall, or that your child be evaluated after a hard hit on the football field, you'll probably visit a local urgent care or emergency department at least twice in his life. Occasionally, we hear the news of celebrities dies after head injury. As a result of media hype, my ER with everyone else in the United States sees the immediate spike in emergency room visits for minor head trauma patients out of fear. That's fine with me, as a part of my job is to give you peace of mind, and to tell you that they will not die from it a little bump on your head.

But when head injury occurs when you go to the ER and what can you expect? How do you know whether it is really "serious" head injury? Everyone knows that ERS are expensive and crowded, and sometimes wait to see it can be 4-6 hours. Nobody wants to spend time and money, but if your child falls and bangs his head on the table, and you'll grow purple lump on my head, what else do you do? Is it necessary to go to the ER for X-rays or CAT scan? Here are some points to consider when deciding whether to rush to the ER or not.

Is there a laceration? If there is a wound on his face, you should go. This is true for lacerations, and periorbital trauma (trauma to the eye socket) and nasal or oral trauma. Scalp lacerations less than 3mm can usually be managed at home if there is significant bleeding.

What is the mechanism of injury? The vast majority of head injuries come from falls where the head strikes the ground, table or some other inanimate object. Do not let these variables dictate whether to go to the ER or not. The drop height, or velocity of an object striking a person, not a reliable indication of the potential below the injury. When in doubt, see your doctor.

Is it a concussion or brain injury? This is the million dollar question, and the real purpose behind this article. While moderate facial lacerations and trauma can affect some cosmetic and functional outcome, right brain injury or brain hemorrhage, may cause death or significant life long disability. So how can you tell if it happens? Let's start with the simple definition potres.Potres is simply an injury that occurs in the brain from a blow to the head. The brain literally gets hit around the skull and can cause bruising of the brain, or even worse, axonal shearing, which can be regarded as nerves literally torn in half. Symptoms of concussion can range from mild dizziness and headache to severe vertigo and vomiting with confusion and inability to walk or remember the event. Either way, in most cases, a concussion is a condition where the patient is fully recovered with little or no lasting posljedice.Lukav part in claiming that someone earthquake lies in the fact that there is no test for most mild to moderate concussions. There is no black and white images, or the laboratory that will tell people concussed. This is strictly a clinical decision by looking at the symptoms, if symptoms are severe enough, you need to consider and explore the possibility of more severe head injuries.

brain bleed on the other hand is an urgent medical emergency. Blood in the rivers of the skull putting pressure on mozak.Mozak then literally forced down into the foramen magnum, the hole where the spinal cord exits the skull. The result is that the cerebellum, a brain region responsible for respiration and cardiac function, literally gets smashed through the foramen magnum, killing the patient. As expected, patients with brain hemorrhage first experience a severe headache and vomiting, followed by neck stiffness and other neurological symptoms similar to stroke, and eventually death. If the patient has significant symptoms after the first few "golden hour", chances are better to have a simple concussion, and does not bleed.

I need a CAT scan? lump on the skin is like a bruise that swells beneath the scalp, but above skullbones. This does not mean that it is bleeding inside the skull. However, because bleeding in the brain case may be so severe, often get a set of computer x-ray call CT.Medicinskim standards of care for CT in head injury is basically this: If the patient is unconscious or is knocked suspected intracranial bleeding or fractures CT is necessary. So you can see that some wiggle room for personal judgments about medical services. Keep in mind though, studies show that during a head CT examination, a person is exposed to the brain equivalent to 300 Xrays! When I make CT of the brain and skull, I highly doubt the true injury (or high suspicion of responsibility I am sorry to say!). With this in mind, if the patient has no brain bleeding symptoms, CT is not justified as exposure to high doses of radiation increases the chances of cancer and other complications.

So what's the bottom line? How do you know if you need to go to the ER? Look at the whole situation and make your decision. Basically, if anything to fix the wounds or broken bones, and the patient denies a significant headaches, and walking and talking as usual, they are likely to have intracranial bleeding. If you are not sure, however, see a doctor! It is the court calls on your side and no one to blame for erring on the side of caution. You can never be too careful, and as I said before, my role as a trauma PA is not only to treat patients and prescribe medication, but set your mind at ease that they will be fine.

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Frequently Asked Questions of a Brain Injury Lawyer

brain injuries suffered at a rate of about one million cases per year, through the trauma alone. These injuries are suffered as a result of birth trauma, vehicular crashes, sports injuries, construction site accidents, and over the funds. There are also non-traumatic brain injury suffered by, for example, carbon monoxide poisoning or lead poisoning. Professional attorney handles many cases described above, which include brain damage in children and adults. Here are some questions often asked during his practice.

1 What are some lesser-known symptoms of brain injury?

Head injuries resulting in concussion, amnesia, and mental retardation are generally known to the results of an injury. However expert lawyers know that there are many lesser known but just as dangerous symptoms that come from traumatic brain injury, and realizing they can be very important to obtain early intervention and treatment. Among them are:

a. The visual disturbances
B. Loss of hearing
c. Changes in smell and taste
d. Hormonal Dysfunction
e. Cranial diabetes

2 How are brain injuries caused during childbirth?

is usually improperly managed labor and delivery is a major cause of traumatic injury in neonates. The obstetrician responsible for the delivery of a child is charged with closely monitoring the fetus for any signs of fetal distress. It is of vital importance for the fetus to get an adequate supply of oxygen to his brain to function properly. If problems arise, such as irregular heartbeat or umbilical cord compression in the neck, and they are not caught in time, failure to follow-up can lead to brain damage in children. Injury lawsuits stemming from the trauma caused during child birth must prove that it is a pity that your child does not arise from unrelated causes, such as premature birth or mother's diabetes, but came directly as a result of medical negligence.

3 Why is it so difficult to identify brain injury in children?

Statistics show that children are more likely to maintain permanent brain damage than adults when equal force is involved and the effect is similar. However, it is difficult to measure the extent of damage to the child, in the case of mild to moderate injuries to adults can be tested by IQ tests and other psychological criteria, while the children because of their young age can not be easily tested by objective tests and methods. Furthermore, the children of some neurological disability may not occur for many years and is difficult to detect until his frontal lobe functions, such as social interaction, or reading and writing skills affected other parts of the brain come into play.

professional lawyer will explain the applicable statutes and limits for bringing medical malpractice lawsuit against the negligent doctor who caused the injury. Typically, children are enjoying the toll of this Statute, which means that in brain injury litigation may commence later than adults. This, of course, takes into account the difficulties in diagnosing injuries in children, and legislation to take appropriate steps to ensure the interests of the child are not lost due to severe time constraints.

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Cognitive Changes After Traumatic Brain Injury Are the Most Challenging

effects of traumatic brain injury on the person's knowledge - the ability to think and learn - can be so overwhelming that it literally struggling to survive through each day. Barbara Webster hundredth led support groups for BIA Massachusetts and all too familiar with the struggles, frustrations and difficulties of rebuilding your life after a head injury.

She knows firsthand how to have your life changed dramatically after she escaped from a car accident with what everyone thought were minor injuries. Suddenly she was not able to perform his job or manage her household. Even the most simple tasks such as choosing her clothes in the morning, cooking dinner or making a grocery list felt overwhelming and send it back to krevet.Teže tried, the more stuck and became frustrated.

Not knowing the cause of her cognitive difficulties, she became so depressed she was afraid was going crazy, and even considering samoubojstvo.Noć went to parent-teacher meeting at school and heard a guest speaker talk about the brain injury was the beginning of turning his life around . She went to her first meeting of a support group for survivors and realized that her cognitive difficulties may be associated with her earlier accident and her so-called "mild" brain injury. Most importantly, she learned that the help and support. Bringing her husband to a meeting of the support group helped him figure out the cause of her difficulties and gave him a new perspective on what was wrong. He realized: "It was wrong" It's a head injury that was causing her to act and think the way it was.

Barbara Webster story is still too common. There is nothing "mild" injury to the brain. Since she only lost consciousness for a moment and had no physical injuries after her car accident, her brain injury was not diagnosed until many, many months later. After all, she looked good. But looks can be deceiving.

trauma to the brain can result in various physical, social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral changes. But it is cognitive change - the ability to process information, problem solve, make decisions, using sound judgment, pay attention and remember events and details - it is so often feel overwhelming to the individual. Family members often feel confused, frustrated and even angry is changing and I can not understand what happened. It can literally feel like in life - all that was known and familiar - it was lost. Finding and return of a lifetime begins with a diagnosis of injury mozga.Sljedeći step is finding specialists and therapists who are experienced and can provide treatment and rehabilitation services, the design of compensatory strategies, give advice and support to extend. Recovery is a process and journey that includes an individual, as well as their families. Barbara Webster can attest to the importance of hope, information, support and resources on brain injury in order to find, recover and rebuild their lives.

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Yoga for Brain Injury

for people recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion or head trauma, yoga offers a gentle exercise with therapeutic benefits. Many survivors find themselves unable to continue in the former way of staying in shape. Balance problems, loss of motor control, dizziness, and neck injuries have limited physical activity, which further restricts the already limited lifestyle. Fortunately, the practice of yoga can be adapted to any illness or injury, lending itself particularly well to TBI recovery.

where to start? With the recent popularity of yoga in the West, students now can choose everything from hot yoga to Ashtanga Kundalini in. People with neck or back injuries, head injuries than you probably want to start with a teacher trained in Iyengar yoga, which uses props to support the proper alignment, without stresses. Kripalu-trained teachers also tend to offer smoother, strengthening class. Any yoga that emphasizes the flow (not too fast, but it) will help retrain sequential processing, the advantage for people who suffered damage to their left-brain or rational strani.Vinyasa follow links breath and movement, with an emphasis on step-by-step progress in meeting that order. Learning and memory, as well as movement through repetition becomes a form of cognitive therapy.

Before starting yoga practice, the survivors should talk with their treatment providers, as well as their intended yoga instructor. Most teachers ask about the injury at the beginning of class, but few people understand the intricacies of TBI on their own. Explain any unusual sensitivity or limit your experience and ask the instructor for recommendations within their own class, or for suggestions about where to find more compatible classes. Yoga is supposed to help and nurture the growth, does not exhaust the body and nervous system.

For this reason, the survivors in the beginning you might want to stay away from Kundalini Yoga or Bikram yoga, which offer intense workouts. Kundalini yoga aims to awaken the dormant energy potential, which sounds like a good thing for TBI survivors. Indeed, it can help tremendously - when neurons have stopped misfiring and "short circuit". Most survivors inaccurate measure of their durability, however, it is easy to over-stimulation. Kundalini Yoga works powerfully on subtle levels, making the energy levels tend to follow. Sometimes suddenly awakened kundalini proves too sensitive for TBI survivors. Bikram Yoga is done in a very hot room, moving quickly through the poses that stimulate sweating of toxins. As with the Kundalini, Bikram supporters talk about their benefits. For hypersensitive survivors, however, excessive heat, body odor, and the physicality of Bikram make it less safe option. In the beginning, look instead for the class titles such as "strengthening", "Beginner", "Iyengar", "Kripalu" and "Gentle ."

Yoga Journal offers a number of DVDs, in the case of survivors prefer to learn in the comfort of their homes. Start with short sessions to build mental and physical endurance. Twenty minutes of DVD-enable a surviving sense of accomplishment, without the possibility of fatigue caused by the hour or hour and a half long in-person classes. Downward Dog Productions with Sarah Bates also offers access to yoga workout DVD designed specifically for people with disabilities. At-home yoga workout to take most of the expenditures from the teachings of yoga, too, because survivors can invest in one or two DVDs in practice every day, rather than paying for the class each time. On the other hand, a good yoga teacher can personalize your routine to support the victims' own unique health challenges.

In addition, sculpting lean, strong muscles and realigning the spine, of course, yoga offers a TBI survivors a chance to reconnect with their bodies in a positive way. Robin Cohn, TBI survivor and vice president of the New York State Brain Injury Association, recognizes the transformative effects of yoga in their recovery: "I started with the initial gentle yoga, where I slowly began to atrophied muscles moving again. I have more, the better I started feel. "Inspired, she began co-teaching yoga classes designed especially for other survivors. "These students are so thrilled to have the opportunity to practice yoga and reaping wonderful benefits of asana and pranayama (breathing). ... Happiness, serenity and peace that yoga brings to them is so rewarding! Their smile just say a lot about how are happy to be practicing ."

Yoga brings awareness of the 5000 + years of linking the human body, mind and spirit. It began as a means of calming the endocrine system and relaxing the body, so that practitioners can sit longer in meditation. This calming, strengthening and relaxing effects makes it an ideal practice for TBI survivors, whose systems work in constant overload. Slowdown brings herself to the center can help anyone cope with stress. For TBI survivors, however, yoga offers a glimpse not only "normal" functioning, yoga also gives the opportunity for optimal health and well-being. Many practitioners experience peace and self-acceptance for the first time in his life, including pre-injury. Yoga is becoming a larger part of waking up (facilitated by TBI)-helps the survivors to find and appreciate the hidden benefits of their trips.

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Car Accident Brain Injuries

head trauma is an immediate risk of brain injury. Although human skulls are heavy, our brains are not always protected when a large amount of force involved. Auto accidents are responsible for a large number of these injuries. Accidents involving short and unpredictable moments of influence, and when the head is hit, the damage can be severe. Many of the consequences of these injuries will be a lifetime.

Some types of accidents are more likely to cause injury to the brain than others. The rear end accidents usually involve the neck and back injuries, while side-impact and falls on his head on impact crashes are more likely to cause trauma to the head.

headaches and dizziness may be the first signs of brain injury. Even minor head trauma can cause lack of concentration. It can be clearly seen how difficult it is to perform daily activities after such trauma. Memory loss and depression are also associated with brain injury.

TBI (traumatic brain injury) are associated with more severe conditions. Skull fractures, bruising of the brain (hematoma), and nerve damage can cause a host of complications. The power of the brain can cause concussions, seizures and comas. These complications may not be curable. Individuals with these conditions may suffer lifelong illnesses. May they also suffer from paralysis or inability to speak.

TBI can also be deadly. When an accident causing this injury can be particularly difficult to handle. Negligent driver may be the cause of many years of other people's pain and suffering. Therefore, the sacrifice of these irresponsible drivers are often eligible for reimbursement.

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How Does a Brain Injury Lawyer Help?

It does not take a serious accident causing injury of the brain, and even falling down the stairs could lead to such injuries. That is why you need immediate medical attention if there is reason to suspect injury to the brain. In addition, from time to time, such injuries are not apparent, increasing the risk of collision.

Home medical assistance is essential to avoid further damage, paralysis and even death. When you apply for legal aid for this as well? This becomes important if the other is responsible for the incident. In such circumstances, you need an expert brain injury lawyers in Florida law for help.

What are the tasks that the attorney should wear? Here is a quick look at the answer.

As of experts to assess the severity of brain injury and his impact - whether it is open injury (skull fracture) or closed one (internal injuries), and assess its effects on your physical and mental self is essential for estimating the cost of damages. Professional experts to determine the effects on your ability to work as required.

Analyzing the facts and evidence about the incident - the examination of the facts of the case and evaluating evidence helps the brain Boca Raton injury lawyer to figure out whether you have a legal basis for the lawsuit - on the basis of 'negligence' or 'strict liability'. Only competent lawyer has knowledge of laws to understand the theory covered.

Assessment of risk of injury - Different circumstances apparently similar case can shift responsibility from one to drugi.Neradan driver hitting makes it responsible for their injuries. However, if the car brake failure was the cause of the accident, the manufacturer / seller can be responsible.

filing and handling of the negotiations or trial - If your lawyer gathers from the investigation and analysis that there is no legal basis for filing a claim, you need to do it immediately. Most of these cases to reach a settlement, using the negotiations. However, the lawyer needs to prepare for trial, as well.

brain injury can leave an individual in need of medication and treatment throughout life. He / She May also face other losses. In this situation, there is a need to ensure that costs do not become a hassle later. Claiming damage recovery is helping to organize for it, as well as ensuring that negligent or wrong entity paying for their mistakes.

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