Survivors of Brain Injury

This collection of 10 tip cards has information on brain injury with tips on rebuilding lives and coping with challenges that service members and adult survivors face living in the community. Topics include independence, irritability and anger, journaling, sleep disorders, adjustment, fatigue and overload, substance abuse, dating, and aging.

Families and caregivers of survivors living with brain injury face the challenge of finding the balance between encouraging independence while providing needed support and supervision. This tip card has checklists for identifying the effects of an acquired brain injury on physical, social, cognitive abilities and behaviors. This information can be used to assess needs and develop services. A great tool for clinicians and therapists to use with families and caregivers.

Anger and irritability are common challenges after brain injury. They can affect relationships with family, caregivers, friends, and coworkers. This tip card helps survivors, families and caregivers recognize the early signs of irritability and anger. It includes tips with strategies for preventing and managing changes in irritability and anger.

Journaling after brain injury can help survivors cope with the changes and challenges in their lives. This tip card on journaling after brain injury helps survivors and families understand what journaling is, learn its benefits and cautions, and use guidelines and tips for writing journal entries.

Sleep disorders after brain injury are common. Sleep patterns can change after a brain injury or TBI, such as trouble falling and staying asleep, waking up too early in the morning and not being able to fall back to sleep. Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD can make sleep disorders even more difficult for survivors and family. This tip card helps all survivors with sleep disorders understand the causes, symptoms and available treatments. It includes tips and strategies for coping with sleep disorders.

Surviving a traumatic brain injury doesn’t mean that life returns to “normal” for everyone. Many aspects of life can change for the survivor. Put simply, YOU aren’t the same. A survivor gives tips and information for adjustment, acceptance and recovery.

This tip card helps survivors, families and caregivers understand and cope with fatigue after brain injury. It gives tips on managing fatigue, energy, stress and overload and finding a healthy balance to prevent meltdowns.

Substance abuse by a person with a brain injury has consequences. This tip card helps families, counselors and clinicians recognize signs of substance abuse and identify reasons for substance abuse among adolescents and adults with brain injury. It gives information and tips on how to respond to suspected or identified substance abuse by survivors. Guidelines for prevention, education and intervention are provided.

A brain injury or tbi can alter social skills of survivors and affect their personal relationships. Families and caregivers will find valuable tips to help survivors explore personal relationships and cope with social situations. Many survivors still desire to date and pursue romantic and sexual relationships but find them difficult due to cognitive and behavioral challenges. This tip card gives tips to help survivors develop personal relationships and to avoid inappropriate touching or comments.

Information for survivors and families with tips on meeting new challenges, making accommodations and developing compensatory strategies after acquired brain injury. Discusses importance of support at home and in the community for brain injury recovery and adjustment.