COMA: When a person has a brain injury

COMA: When a person has a brain injury

Ron Savage, Ed.D. and Marilyn Lash, M.S.W.
Seeing a spouse, parent, child or sibling who is in a brain injury coma can be frightening and stressful for family members, friends and visitors. This tip card explains how a person may look and respond during various levels of coma. It gives practical suggestions for families as they wait and watch for changes in alertness and responsiveness.
Item: COMA
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Full Description

Family members, friends and visitors usually don’t know what to expect when a person is comatose. This tip cards explains how the Glasgow Coma Scale and Rancho Los Amigos Scale are used to measure the patient’s level of consciousness and responsiveness. Examples of physical, cognitive, verbal and behavioral changes are described with tips and suggestions for how family members can help, comfort and respond to a child or adult in a coma.
Details
Item COMA
Pages 8
Year Third edition, 2010

Authors

Ron Savage, Ed.D.

His international recognition as author and presenter is based on practical experience as a rehabilitation clinician, educator and school administrator.

A leader in advocacy for children with brain injuries, Dr. Savage is a national leader in developing model programs and has given special attention to recognizing the effects of concussion among children, the consequences of brain injury upon behavior, and designing educational programs for students with brain injuries in the community. He is Vice President for the North American Brain Injury Society.

Marilyn Lash, M.S.W.

Ms Lash uses her social work experience and research in pediatric rehabilitation to develop sensitive and practical guides for families, educators, and professionals. Her specialty is helping families cope with the emotional impact of brain injury and developing strategies for negotiating the complex service system. A Founding Partner and President of Lash and Associates Publishing/Training, she focuses on developing user friendly publications for families, educators, and clinicians.

Contents

This tip card helps parents, family members and visitors...
  •  understand what a coma is
  •  respond to and comfort a person
Coma

Glasgow Coma Scale

Rancho Los Amigos Scale

Understanding the scales

Tips for Helping a Person in the Early Stages of Coma Recovery

Tips for Talking with Staff

Excerpts

Sample excerpt. Preview only – please do not copy.

A person does not just “wake up” from a coma. It is a gradual process of becoming more responsive and aware of people and surroundings. A person rarely progress directly through different levels of consciousness. There is usually some overlap, or back and forth between stages.

A person may become confused, not recognize you, talk and behave strangely, swear, become angry, and even be violent. This is a normal stage of coma recovery and it is usually temporary.

Noise, touch, light, and movement may calm or upset the patient. Many people have“post-traumatic amnesia” and do not remember being hurt and what happened next.

You can help during this early stage of coma recovery by following these tips.

  • Keep things simple. Do only one activity at a time. Too much talking, noise, touching or activity can confuse the patient even more.
  • Assure the patient that she is safe. Tell her what happened and where she is. Repeat this many times. It may be hard for the patient to understand and remember new information.
  • “You were in an accident. You are in the hospital.”
  • Tell the patient whether it is morning, afternoon or evening. This helps orient the patient to time, but keep it simple. “It is morning.” rather than, “It is eight o’clock.”

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