Illinois Valley Traumatic Brain Injury Support Group

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What Is A Brain Injury?

How Many People Have TBI?

What Are The Causes Of Brain Injury?

What Are The Types Of Brain Injury?

What Are Possible Impairments?

Commonly Asked Questions

Is There Any Treatment?

What Is The Prognosis?

What Research Is Being Done?

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Rehabilitation

What is Rehabilitation?
The purpose of rehabilitation is to help accelerate
the process of regaining functional abilities by
presenting the individual with challenges that
promote learning and improvement of skills. The
goal of rehabilitation is to help the individual
return to a life that is as independent and
productive as possible.

Brain injury rehabilitation involves a multidisciplinary
team approach to treatment. During
the admission process, various professionals
evaluate short and long term goals for the injured
person. This allows a comprehensive and
individualized treatment plan to be developed.
Each discipline sets individual goals for evaluating
and treating the person with a brain injury and
shares the outcome with the other team members.
As necessary, the treatment plan is revised.

Each person’s rehabilitation program varies
depending on the severity and type of injury, and
on the individual’s needs. Rehabilitation is a long
process, and families must understand that shortterm
goals help reduce frustration and impatience.
During recovery, people with brain injuries may
fatigue easily, both mentally and physically.

A comprehensive rehabilitation program
encourages individuals to reach their full potential.
While the specific elements of each person’s
treatment plan may vary, most comprehensive
rehabilitation programs try to achieve the same
major goals. The general rehabilitation goals for a
person with a brain injury are to show
improvement and increase independence.

Types of Rehabilitation Programs

Acute rehabilitation begins once the injured
person becomes medically stable. This program
may exist within an acute care hospital or in a free
standing rehabilitation hospital. A more intensive
rehabilitation program begins as the person
becomes more alert and responsive.

Subacute rehabilitation may follow acute
rehabilitation, based on demonstrated
improvement at a less intensive level for those
unable to tolerate a full program. It provides
specific and specialized therapies.

Subacute care is a comprehensive and outcome
oriented approach to care for patients requiring
complex medical and/or rehabilitation
interventions. Typically used as an alternative to
continued hospitalization.

Extended care provides 24-hour nursing care and
may provide physical, speech and occupational
therapy. These facilities can be short-term or may
take place in a nursing home.

Post-acute rehabilitation provides extended
therapies in a structured environment. The
individual is medically stable.

Extended therapies include cognition, social
behavior, work hardening and vocational training.
Cognitive training aids in perception, memory,
thinking, and problem solving.

Community re-entry programs are designed to
accomplish functional outcomes focusing on home
re-integration. Services may be in a residential
facility, day treatment program or in the home.

Day treatment is a non-residential program that
increases functional ability through therapeutic
intervention and supervised activities. It may
include physical therapy, occupational therapy,
and speech therapy.

Day care is available for the person requiring
supervision, including assistance with medication,
meal preparation and dressing.

Residential programs include institutional settings,
transitional living programs, group homes,
supervised apartments, supervised living facilities,
or family homes.

Specialized programs exist for behavior
management, ventilator management, coma
stimulation, pediatric, dual diagnosis, pain
management, chemical dependency, as well as
others.

In addition to traditional medical staff, specialized
rehabilitation team members should include:
Neurologists - a physician who specializes in the
nervous system. Physiatrist - a physician who
specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation
and is trained to diagnose and treat disabling
conditions. Neuropsychologist - A psychologist
specializing in evaluating brain/behavior
relationships. To minimize effects of brain injury,
the neuropsychologist plans training programs and
recommends behavioral strategies.