You were in a terrible motor vehicle accident, and you woke up days later with a still-throbbing headache. It turns out that you suffered a significant head injury, and you were placed in a coma to help preserve your brain function.
Today, you’re feeling better, but you still have significant changes to adjust to. You have symptoms of a brain injury, and you’ll require months to years of recovery. You weren’t at fault for the accident, so that means that the driver who was should be responsible for any and all care you require to recover.
What functions can you expect to regain as you heal?
Every brain injury is different, so there is no clear answer to how you’ll recover. Your behavior may have changed, and your cognitive abilities and other functions may be functioning less now than in the past. With therapy, it’s possible to begin to regain those functions.
Over time, as your brain chemistry balances itself, you may also recover some of the abilities you did not have before. For example, if you struggled with your memory after the crash, you may begin to recover memories and remember more in the future as your brain heals itself and creates new neural pathways.
Is occupational therapy important for those who suffer brain injuries?
Yes. Occupational therapy is key to recovery. It’s a rehabilitation process that is aimed at helping you reintegrate with the community. It teaches you to live with any disabilities you now have, so you can get back to living a relatively normal life every day. Activities that this kind of therapy focuses on include work demands, sleep habits, home management, compensatory strategies and other necessary tools to living successfully on your own or with the help of others.
If you’re suffering from a traumatic brain injury, you deserve the best treatments possible. The person responsible for the crash needs to be held responsible for compensating you, so you can focus on your health.
