What is an Acquired Brain Injury? – SBS

The recovery process from an ABI differs significantly between patients due to individual circumstances. After patients leave the acute sector of a hospital they often spend a period of time in a rehabilitation ward or an ABI specialist rehab unit. When they are discharged to the community patients are designated case workers to assist with the rehabilitation process.

Professor Perminder Sachdev says while the brain has a capacity to regenerate after an ABI, he says few patients return to their full abilities after an ABI. He also says there needs to better rehabilitation facilities available and different types of facilities including more physical rehabilitation options.

We have to make our rehabilitation programs more comprehensive and look at other aspects of rehabilitation as well, Perminder says.

Lisa Bryants daughter Ricky has a seizure when in 2015 at 23 years old and went from being very independent to requiring her mothers full time care. Lisa is no longer able to go to work, but along with the financial struggle, she says there has been an emotional toll of caring for her daughter who is now unable to perform basic function.

You take what happens, you care for the child that you have, as a mother thats what you do. But as well, you know, Ive lost my daughter, Lisa says.

Brain injury is often called a continuous grief because its not like she died, she says. We have a structure for grieving when someone dies. We dont have a structure for a survival of a totally different person than it was that you had before.

Originally posted here:
What is an Acquired Brain Injury? - SBS