Military & VeteransHelping a patient with cognitive and language difficulties after a TBI does not have to involve bells and whistles. Strategies like hanging a white board on the back of the patient's front door to remind him what he needs for that day can make a significant difference in the functionality of that person's life.
As far as advice to speech/language pathologists out in various places in the country who are treating these patients with mild traumatic brain injury, I would say the biggest lesson is life is full of cognitive and language challenges. And as long as we don't worry too much about having all the bells and whistles, there is so much that we can do with just helping the patient with their day-to-day life as far as introducing strategies--basic strategies, simple strategies that are really effective. For example, I've had a lot of patients who have benefited from just something as simple as a whiteboard on the inside of their front door, where they keep track of what they need to bring with them when they leave the house. It doesn't have to be magic; it doesn't have to be fancy; as long as you're paying really close attention to that patient's-- that traumatic brain injury patient's functional complaints, there is so much that you can do even without having access to all the resources.
Posted on BrainLine July 19, 2012.
About the author: Inbal Eshel, MA, CCC-SLP
Inbal Eshel, MA, CCC-SLP is the lead traumatic brain injury speech-language pathologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. She provides diagnostic and therapeutic interventions aimed at minimizing cognitive and language deficits and maximizing quality of life.
Produced by Victoria Tilney McDonough, Brian King, and Jared Schaubert, BrainLine.