Can Surface After Brain Injury By Carolyn Rocchio Following a brain injury, the initial focus is naturally on preserving life and achieving medical stability. Trauma care is reasonably consistent nationwide, and is expected to preserve the brain from secondary damage, bring the patient to medical stability and prepare the individual for transfer to rehabilitation. Individuals in acute care settings commonly experience repeated infections and other reversible conditions. In addition to the commonly encountered medical problems, there are others less customary and vigilant families are often the first to notice subtle changes that may indicate a problem.
Individuals have very different experiences with rehabilitation.
While some need extended physical rehabilitation to improve motor capabilities, others may need more intensive rehabilitation to increase cognitive functioning. Equating the brain to a computer enables one to understand its complexity. Often the individual lacks sufficient communication skills to adequately describe problems and alert the treatment team or family. Additionally, a low level of cognitive awareness may prevent the individual from realizing there is a problem. Problems developing after the individual is home and no longer involved in medical or rehabilitation settings may not be as readily recognized as a result of brain injury, and valuable treatment time can be lost if caregivers are unaware of some possible medical consequences of brain injury.