Brain injuries not only result in the need for acute care shortly after the accident occurs, but also in ongoing care to deal with the many complications that arise from this type of injury. The estimated lifetime costs of medical treatment after a brain injury is $85,000 to $3 million, depending on the severity of the injury and the number of complications.
Unfortunately, the costs of medical treatment are not the only expenses that brain-injured individuals face. Many also deal with lost wages due to the inability to work, and the loss of future earning capacity as a result of permanent disabilities. Around 60 percent of brain-injured adults are unemployed two years after the accident occurs. Many will require modifications to their homes or vehicles to accommodate disabilities caused by their injuries, and will find that every aspect of their lives has changed.
More than half of the nations homeless population is living with deficits related to a brain injury. While some of these individuals did not suffer the injury until after they became homeless, many more are homeless as a result of the injury.