Online guide for brain injury patients

NHS Highland is marking the start of Brain Injury Awareness Week by publishing an online guide for patients affected by the condition.

Brain Book was written by our Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr. Louise Blackmore to help patients, their family and friends understand how traumatic brain injury affects people.

Dr Blackmore said “A scan can see the hidden damage to the brain that an accident, fall or assault has caused but on the outside people often look no different so it can be difficult for a patient or their loved ones to understand why their behaviour and abilities have changed – sometimes radically. Another problem is that brain injury can frequently affect memory. I can explain a lot in a consultation but by the time a patient has got home they may have forgotten what I told them. Brain Book can act as a reminder. It helps people to understand how they have changed and how they can find ways round some of the difficulties which they have.”

A brain injury can have physical effects and affect thinking, memory and behaviour. Speed of thought may be slower, concentration can also be impaired and people are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, mood swings and short temper.

Dr Blackmore said: “Some of my patients experience such a change that they talk about there being one person before their injury and one person after. It can also lead to them having to leave their job. They may also have problems with relationships. They can end up grieving for the person they used to be. My aim when I work with my patients is that they get to know who they are now and get to like themselves as well. It can be an emotional roller coaster with some very low points but gradually over time people begin to feel better. I often wish I could press ‘fast forward’ and show new patients that they will feel better in the future.”

Brain Book can help people understand what has happened to them and offers a few strategies for how to cope. It can be downloaded from the NHS Highland website using the following link or by searching for Brain Book. http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/Publications/Pages/BrainBook.aspx

Source - The Inverness Courier

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