Long Term Care

Long term care for a person with severe brain injury is tedious and costly. The lengthy process can ensure the gradual recovery of a traumatic brain injury survivor. Recovery starts at the time of admission to the hospital where the patient’s condition is stabilized and his wound is treated sometimes through surgery.This is also the time when proper care and support by the family starts.

Caring for a patient with brain injury requires a lot of patience and money. Long term care costs starts with the medical bills accumulated in the hospital. Expenses for care providers, follow-up laboratory tests, clinic visits, rehabilitation or therapy, neurological and psychological evaluations and medicines are all part of the long term care.

Patience & Gentleness

The family of the brain injury survivor must show love and gentleness throughout the caring and recovery process and must ensure emotional stability against the daunting challenges ahead. The same goes with the persons tasked to assist in the patient;s recovery such as private nurses, therapists, and caregivers.

This is so important since the patient may suffer a lot of changes while on the road to recovery. These changes include physical changes, personality changes and an impaired learning. They must be wary of these changes and know how to react accordingly while at the same time they must deliver according to patient’s specific needs.

Care Plan

Long term care for person with head injury must also include a long term care plan. The plan must be laid out at once as early as the patient’s admission in the hospital. This is critical to achieve maximum recovery of the patient.

First, a plan on how to obtain financial assistance for the continuous care of the patient is a must. How will the family sustain to pay for the expenses after a traumatic brain injury. A lot of family members must disregard past differences and must share their resources to cover the devastating cost of care for a head injury.

Cost of Care

They must also devise a plan on how to save in costs like deciding on whether the patient still needs rehabilitation in a special recovery facility or with an in-house care. Each brain injury is unique and planning for long term care must be based on its severity. The more severe the head injury, the more costly it will be.

There has to be a good plan on the careful selection of service providers. Again,the seriousness of the injury will be the basis on the selecting healthcare providers.

A good doctor, a highly advanced clinic and a good rehabilitation program will charge a lot but the returns are usually better. Often more expensive doctor or facility means more experienced and high quality service that you can get. The right choice of service providers is a vital step for a speedy recovery. Consider that the more speedy the recovery, there is less burden and stress to the caring family members and survivor as well.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation from a brain injury usually takes a lot of significant time for recovery. After the patient has achieved medical stability, he undergoes a rehabilitation process to improve independent function at home or at a health facility and be able to adapt to disabilities.

Rehabilitation may also include physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and cognitive rehabilitation therapy. Mental health professionals such as psychiatrists and psychologists are also needed for treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms. These symptoms include emotional distress and clinical depression. Neuropsychologists are needed to manage the cognitive defects.

Outpatient Care

Outpatient care usually involves the loved ones, caregivers and private nurses. It starts after the rehabilitation treatment. Injured individuals who cannot live by themselves or with their family can find help in group homes.

Visits to day centers and leisure facilities for the disabled will provide respite to the caregivers while providing activities to the people recovering from traumatic brain injury. Psychiatric and behavioral problems may arise and may be corrected through pharmacological treatment. Medication is advised to control post-traumatic epilepsy. Patients who are bedridden and whose consciousness is reduced or those with mobility problems must have the continuous care of a nurse or a professional caregiver.