Intro to Traumatic Brain Injury

Most people are unaware of the silent epidemic that is sweeping America. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is impacting more and more people every year, whether through injury to themselves or to friends, loved ones, work associates, or others. And the numbers, as detailed by the Brain Injury Association, are staggering:

• Injury is the leading cause of mortality among Americans under 45 years of age, and TBI is responsible for the majority of these deaths. It is estimated that TBI claims more than 50,000 lives annually.
• Each year, about 230,000 Americans are hospitalized as a result of TBI. Of these, 80,000 experience the onset of long-term disability following TBI.
• In the 21 seconds it takes to read these statistics, one person in the U.S. sustains a traumatic brain injury.

Many excellent sites exist, detailing brain function, brain injury,and related issues. One of the most easily readable ones is the Acute Brain Injury guide published at the Virtual Hospital site, maintained by the University of Iowa. If TBI is a new topic for you, then we recommend starting there.

For greater detail and for an excellent series of "maps" of the brain, see the outstanding article titled Brain Functions And Map, published by the Centre For Neuro Skills.

In the past, rehabilitation for a patient with a TBI has typically been provided in the "medical model":

• Services provided via major medical facilities.
• Large teams of specialists involved, each looking solely at their unique areas of expertise.
• Remediation of deficits as the primary focus.
• Service provision tied directly to insurance availability.
• Cessation of services when insurance funds are exhausted.

inteBIC is dedicated to alerting survivors and caregivers to the wide world beyond traditional rehab. Yes, we will touch briefly on all of the standard elements -- but our goal is to bring together new ideas which can help speed recovery well beyond the limits of more traditional approaches.

 

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