Attention Process Training
 

Has anyone used this programme and if so was it useful. My husband had a cardiac arrest with ongoing hypoxic brain injury. Short term recall is his greatest problem. He is receiving rehab of the whiteboard, diary, reminder kind but I wondered if the training might compliment this? Thanks.

The research looks sketchie and variable. Some see improvement. Others do not. In one study, there was some improvement and some degrading of function.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11094401

I have very poor memory and find it is most important for me to not casually rely on my memory. It takes a concerted effort. Some suggest it is a focus issue. I struggle to focus on the task/information at hand due to easy distractability.

Does he know what types of memory he is struggling with, auditory, visual ?

Thank you
 

He struggles to recall info after a few minutes, always does badly on the minimental tests in recalling words. Remembers generalities but not specific detail from day to day experiences. Some things stick, much doesnt. His rehab doctor refused to perform neuropsych analysis so we dont really know specifically his strengths and weaknesses (money issue for refusal I presume). As his initial admission was for cardiac arrest he has never seen a neurologist. The cardiac team refused becuase they did "heart". Would you recommend that as a starting place. He has an OT and Speech Therapist but they focus on strategies rather than treatment. I have been alone with this for months so any input gratefully appreciated.

The focusing on strategies concept is worthwhile. The brain is not like a muscle. It does not rebuild itself to restore lost function. I've been without much of a short term memory for 15 years. Been tested 3 times since and my poor memory is still the same. My challenge is using notes. If I reach for a note pad, I often have already forgotten what I was going to write down. If I can stay in context, with minimal disruption to my train of thought, I can remember for a very short term. I had an extremely good memory before Jan 16, 2001 and poof.

One thing that I need to do is avoid anything like multitasking. The second task will cause a loss of awareness of the first task.

A NeuroPsych Assessment can help to define his functions but will not be as helpful at directing therapy. They are expensive. ($2000 to $4000 or more). Good insurance can reduce the out of pocket expense.

The injured brain can learn new ways to do a task. It takes lots of repetitions for the brain to reprogram itself. Stress can often get in the way of improvements so it is important to try to live a low stress life.

Has anybody suggested a brain health oriented supplement regimen ? The injured brain needs more nutrition to function in its weakened state. The Vitamins sticky has a good regimen. It also has some good links to information.

It would not hurt for him to do some brain training like Lumosity of FitBrains. They do not cause healing-like recovery but they can strengthen other skills like focus and challenge him to learn more of the work-arounds we need. Hopefully, his OT can direct in this area but it would be worthwhile even without the OT's input. Google 'free brain training' and you will find some to try. beware some are just trials that will end up charging you after a set time period.

If this has disrupted his ability to work, he can apply for Social Security Disability. They will test him as part of the process. The key disability for people like us is an inability to maintain 'pace and persistence.' We may be able to get a job done but usually too slowly or inconsistently for an employer's needs.

How long has it been since his heart attack ?

Thanks again
 

Its such a relief to get an answer to my concerns. Its been 18 months since cardiac arrest. I have researched supplements but concerned they would interfere with warfarin and other drugs he takes. Looked at acetylcholine. Hes taking B vitamins. Will look at thread for supplements. I do notice that when we do lumosity, fitbrains etc he will verbalise some strategies to help. One of the biggest problems is that he worries he will say the wrong thing and also finds it hard to retrieve ideas so doesent talk: it gets very lonely.

It is important to help him be comfortable making mistakes as he speaks. It will be valuable to build a group of people around him who understand his need for their patience as he tries to speak. It will help for him to not have to try to talk when there is more than one other person talking. It will take time for him to learn to sort through the voices in multiple person conversation. He may never regain the ability to tolerate more than a few voices in a room.

Have you checked to see if you have a brain injury support group in your area ? The right group can be invaluable at providing him a safe place to try to communicate. It is amazing to watch as the people in my brain injury support group will patiently allow someone to struggle through their efforts to speak or just not react to misspeaking. As we say, we get our 'm'ords 'w'ixed up.

Regarding supplements. Fish oil is a blood thinner. It has been researched in combination with Warfarin. You should talk to the pharmacist to see if he has any recommendations. If he has routine blood work for his Warfarin, that reviewing doctor could be consulted, too.

Normal levels of B vitamins (RDA) are inadequate for a struggling brain. I doubt there would be any reasons to prevent him from increasing B-12 to a higher dose.

If he spends any time in the public away from help, He would benefit from a slip in his wallet like the one used by many in my support group. It says :
"Please be patient with me. I suffer from a brain injury that causes me to struggle to communicate. I am not mentally handicapped nor intoxicated.
Any assistance to help me would be appreciated."

I carry a similar version that addresses my tendency to over-react and get loud when over-whelmed with sound. It says :
"Please be patient with me. I suffer from a brain injury that causes me to over-react when confronted with shouting or someone barking orders. I respond by getting loud. Any assistance to help limit excessive auditory stimulation is helpful. "

One of the important parts of learning to live with brain injuries is accepting that this is how we are and getting over any sense of embarrassment. Then, we can calmly ask for assistance or accommodation. When we can do that, it is amazing how helpful others, even strangers, can be.

he could start with working to memorize a simple statement. "I have a brain injury and get my mords wixed up." It often causes a moment of bewilderment, then a smile, then a patient helping hand. It is very helpful for him to memorize some responses because we will not be able to respond off the cuff.

I have a few speech sayings. "My tongue gets caught on my eye tooth and I can't see what I am saying." Or, "I just washed my tongue and can't do a thing with it." I have had speech issues for as long as I can remember and have used these saying to break the tension. It's like they cause a brain reset. My problem decades ago was my brain would think faster than my mouth could find and pronounce the words. Now, I struggle to form my thoughts and find the words.

There are a variety of ways people twist language such as spoonerisms. Learning to laugh at them can be therapeutic. Some of the greats of history routinely misspoke.
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/edu...pisms?page=all

The more he learns to make light of these struggles, the more he will have success avoiding them. Stress makes any speech struggle much worse.

OT and speech therapists are great but may miss some of the issues we deal with. Please feel free to tell us about any struggle he has.

If you tell us where you live, we can try to find a Brain Injury Support Group in your area.

I personally found it was very beneficial. However, not all brain injuries the same.

Mine was a comparatively minor cerebellar tumour. I experienced issues concentrating and some short-term memory issues. I would instantly forget phone numbers and other things. By the time I finished the course I felt more confident.

At the very least it made me aware of deficits and helped me develop strategies.

We played lots of card games and simple counting and recall games. They introduced more complex exercises as we progressed.

It's possible that it will benefit an easier case like mine more.