TBI Therapy
 

I am a caretaker for a TBI survivor named Matthew. Matthew is the first TBI survivor i have worked with and i am looking for all the help i can get as far as the best activities for stimulation.

Matthew was in a very bad car accident about 6 years ago. Matthew is not paralyzed but has little control of his limbs. Matthew can feed himself, brush his teeth, wash his face and chest and operate his powerchair, but does little else.
For transfers i do a pivot transfer, he can bare weight but again has little control over moving his legs and feet. Matthew suffers from contractsures and hyperexstention.

Matthew has had pt, ot, and speech therapy over the course of his recovery but is always met with the "thats all we can do for you" attitude at a certain point. He is in ot and pt twice week but will be done next week.

Ive only been working with Matthew for about 8 months now, but im very dedicated in my work and want to see him reach his highest potential. I need suggestions, advice, and would love to hear similar stories.

Thank you for taking out your time to read and respond

SarahLiz,

You are to be commended for taking on such a task. Welcome to NeuroTalk.


I have no specific knowledge or experience with this level of TBI. I would think he would benefit from continued PT and OT, even if it is done by a caregiver rather than a PT or OT. Can the PT and OT therapists show you some things to continue with ? How are his cognitive skills ? Does he suffer from head aches ?

Mark,
We do work on PT and OT at home as well. Rotating of the joints and bending. arms, legs, knees, ankles, hips, shoulders, at the elbow. He signals no for headaches and he is mostly cognitively aware. Very aware of his surroundings. Suffers from a good amount of memory loss. One thing ive discovered is the use of music for speech therapy. We listen to a lot of music through out the day and I began to notice he could sing along to short parts of songs. The slower parts came out louder and more clear. So I try to incorporate music into our day as much as possible. Thank you for taking time out to respond. its always good to hear back. Sometimes it feels like were alone in this. Wish you all the best
Sarah and Matthew

Sarahliz,
I too don't know much about TBI but I have worked in aquatics for 30 years. My mom was a teacher for the physically handicapped and was instrumental in getting a warm water pool built for her students. The key is the warm water--has to be warm. You might check into finding a facility, private or public, that has a chair lift into the pool. There are also wheelchairs that go into the water. What is nice about the water is that the patient can do more which increases his/her muscle memory. Walking is easier in a pool (floatation devices are used for non walkers) and so are cross body movements of the limbs. I remember a kid who had some sort of MD only in his limbs and he used to come into the pool that I taught at in the early am just so that his muscles would be warmed up and loose all day. I can't say enough about the benefits of water therapy or water classes. Water ex for seniors might be slower and more is speed.

Feel free to pm me if you have any more questions,