Brain Injury

General information about brain injury.

Read more about the article Living With Brain Injury
Quote by Rabbi Dr Milton Pine
Brain Injury / Life Changes After Brain Injury

Living With Brain Injury

Over the years I have often thought about a paper presented at a Head Injury Council of Australia (HICOA) Conference during the 1990s. Written by Rabbi Dr Milton Pine the paper was insightful, moving and a wonderful personal story of his life before and after brain injury. Some may remember I attempted to quote the last paragraph of Rabbi Dr Milton Pine’s paper in a past article about Ethics.  At the time I well remembered the impact of his final words but could not find the paper to quote directly. I have now been given a copy of the paper and permission to present the paper in full here, in the hope it may help others struggling in those early days post brain injury. This year, 25 years after acquiring a significant and life changing brain injury Rabbi Dr Milton Pine died. I knew him for a time over those years and as I said above, I was lucky enough to be…

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December 12, 2017
Read more about the article To Say or Not To Say – What to Say After Brain Injury – Part 2
Brain Injury / Life Changes After Brain Injury / Strategies Approaches and Support

To Say or Not To Say – What to Say After Brain Injury – Part 2

  Tips on What 'To Say' When a Person Has A Brain Injury or Other Life Changes. The previous article "To Say or Not To Say - After Brain Injury Part 1" looked at what people say that sometimes can be hurtful, unhelpful and at times damaging albeit with good intentions. Today some tips and alternatives for what to say after brain injury to ensure more positive communication. Most of the links in the previous article also contain alternative and better ways to communicate. Here are a few more: 10 Things People with a Brain injury would like to hear A simple list of statements and questions from Brainline that might be helpful, or at least less upsetting than the “what not to say’ statements. Examples like – “I will bring you some delicious healthy brain foods and snacks — and come to sweep and do laundry, but don't worry, I won't stay too long.” “Take your time — we are not…

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August 3, 2016
Brain Injury / Brain Injury Outcomes / Cognitive changes

Brain Injury Difficulty Problem Solving and Planning

Most of us at some time have trouble trying to work out how to solve a problem. Or maybe we can’t seem to make a decision, or we make a decision and then think “Why did I ever do that”. Brain injury, particularly when it involves the frontal lobe, such as after  trauma, stroke, dementia, tumour,  commonly results in similar difficulty with working through a problem, planning, organizing and putting steps in the right order. After brain injury it is different - it might not go away. Today a look at what happens when planning, organization and putting things in the right order are not happening as they should. Next week some strategies that might be helpful to work around planning and organization issues after brain injury.   Definitions What is planning? "“Planning” is the ability to choose how to do a task, and to list all the steps of the task. Planning also requires the person to decide what they will…

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June 28, 2016
Read more about the article Brain Injury Resources Around The Web
Brain and Function / Brain Injury

Brain Injury Resources Around The Web

I discovered these brain injury resources while trying to focus my attention on a review of Changed Lives New Journeys. Like an ageing house – blog bits are starting to look a bit shabby and not work so well. You start looking into fixing it only to find more and more seems to need doing. Eventually you think maybe a full renovation is best. In 2013 I built this blog with no prior experience - a good idea then but now I have absolutely no idea what I did!  Where do I start - ‘Break things down into manageable chunks.’ I recall often suggesting this as a strategy when a person has a brain injury to help plan and organise.  That made sense here too. And so I began … Step One was – Research - who else writes about your topic or area. What is your niche? I went off like Alice in Wonderland down all sorts of rabbit-holes finding all sorts of…

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June 8, 2016
Read more about the article Getting Through Stages of Change After Brain Injury
Brain Injury / Life Changes After Brain Injury / Strategies Approaches and Support

Getting Through Stages of Change After Brain Injury

‘Tips for Getting Through the Stages of Change After Brain Injury”  –  this is another list I found in my archives. It is a single well worn sheet with ‘Bear in Mind presentation’ across the top.     Bear in Mind is now Brain Injury Matters  an organisation in Melbourne, Australia for and by people with brain injury.  "Brain Injury Matters Inc (BIM) facilitates self-advocacy and community education for people living with an  Acquired Brain Injury. BIM is currently organising events and improving this website to better deliver these services." See what you think about these tips - are they useful when managing change after brain injury?  Well not just the changes after brain injury, any major change really. Please add your comments below. This is the complete list - without me butting in to comment. I leave it to you to take on board what you might find useful:   Tips for Getting Through the Stages of Change After Brain Injury From…

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May 31, 2016
Read more about the article Fatigue After Brain Injury: I’m So Tired My Brain Hurts
Brain Injury / Brain Injury Outcomes / Cognitive changes / Life Changes After Brain Injury / Strategies Approaches and Support

Fatigue After Brain Injury: I’m So Tired My Brain Hurts

Fatigue after brain injury: Cognitive fatigue, Brain fog, Mental fatigue, Brain fatigue, Brain exhaustion, Mental tiredness, Foggy brain. I love the last one! All terms that can mean "I'm so tired my brain hurts". Please Remember This: To begin here is the key message I want to make – We can all get foggy brain. Most of us recover quickly and it doesn’t happen too often. After brain injury - foggy brain is not cute, and it is often not a temporary thing. After brain injury 'foggy brain', is more professionally called cognitive fatigue. It does not go away without paying it attention and it can come back over and over again. Introducing Cognitive Fatigue After Brain Injury A few years ago (I just realised  - 3 years ago almost to the day!)  I wrote a post “I’m So Tired My Brain Hurts.” This has been the source of many letters, and one of the most read articles. Recently it was suggested…

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March 8, 2016
Read more about the article Intimacy, Sex and Brain Injury
Brain Injury / Brain Injury Outcomes / Life Changes After Brain Injury

Intimacy, Sex and Brain Injury

I know. I know. This image can be seen as a cheap trick on my part to draw you in? I really just want to make a bold statement about sex and brain injury! To reinforce my view - that it's OK to talk it. We should talk about it. Many, many, subjects are written and discussed after brain injury – cognitive difficulties, role changes, returning to work - or not, partner becoming care giver, memory changes, behaviour, family life, loss of interest and motivation, eating, life plans, alcohol, impulsivity, egocentricity. On and on the list can go. Every aspect of human life. Well almost. The topic rarely discussed - and more often discussed as “inappropriate behaviour” is SEX and brain injury.   I have had private, intimate, discussions with many couples over the years, sharing their concerns at loss of intimacy, changed desires, and loss of sex life after brain injury. Yet we rarely feel comfortable raising and discussing it in…

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December 15, 2015
Brain Injury / Life Changes After Brain Injury

RePost: Rant for Remembrance – Soldiers With Brain Injury

  Posted 2014 and 2015 11th day 11th month @11am I have decided that until the issue of soldiers with brain injury, around the world, is adequately addressed I will repost this each Remembrance Day. First published in 2014. In November 2014 after several weeks of trying to prepare an article for Remembrance day: “traumatic brain injury in soldiers - a brief history” The writing would not flow. Everything I read made me cranky. It seems we have not learned all we could from history, about the lifelong support that many soldiers with brain injury and their families need. The 11th hour - of the 11th day - of the 11th month is a time when the end of World War I is commemorated. When the millions of lives changed by war, across the world, are remembered. Instead of my planned, commemorative, historical, piece I am now letting off steam with a personal ‘Rant for Remembrance Day’, particularly about the lack of…

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November 11, 2015
Read more about the article Behaviour in Brief – Challenging Behaviour After Brain Injury
Behaviour changes / Brain Injury

Behaviour in Brief – Challenging Behaviour After Brain Injury

Changed behaviour, Behaviours of concern, Difficult behaviour, Bad behaviour, Challenging behaviour after brain injury – . Whatever term you use, it is one of the BIG topics in brain injury.   It can mean challenges for the person living with brain injury, their family and friends, supporters, and community members. Behaviour changes can be mild to severe. From creating difficulties in social situations, to unlawful behaviour. From awkward moments to harmful, even dangerous behaviours. My challenge to myself for today is to take a BIG topic and turn it into a small article and still be useful. Just to let me off the hook a little: Over time I will cover more about behaviour and will link back to this article (remind me) so it becomes a hub of resources for Challenging Behaviour After Brain Injury. That is my vision, let’s see what happens.   Why Do We Need to Know About Challenging Behaviour After Brain Injury? [unordered_list style="tick"] Challenging behaviour after…

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October 20, 2015
Read more about the article Brain Injury is Different
Brain Injury / Cause and Incidence / Starting Out

Brain Injury is Different

Brain injury is unique, its outcomes distinct. Often I have heard of confusion about brain injury with mental illness and brain injury with intellectual disability. So today I am updating and reposting an article I wrote a while ago that reminds us of the differences. Brain Injury is DIFFERENT to other conditions, illnesses, and disabilities: [unordered_list style="green-dot"] Sometimes brain injury is confused with, or misdiagnosed as, another disorder. Understanding that brain injury is different can assist you to encourage correct diagnosis, and be able to provide support more successfully. If you have experience supporting people with other disorders you may need to review, change, or tailor your strategies to meet the needs of a person with brain injury. Understanding how brain injury is different can help you do this. For example it is important to understand why working with a person with an intellectual disability requires different strategies to working with a person with brain injury. [/unordered_list] Brain injury is different to:…

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October 7, 2015