Head Injury

Book excerpt: Each day throughout the world hundreds of people suffer head injuries. Whether they are caused by traffic accidents, or violence, or occur during sports and leisure activities , these injuries can dramatically and tragically alter the victim's ability to cope with life. In many countries,after-care of the victim, once the injury is no longer life-threatening, is often inadequate, and all too often families are left to manage as best as they can. The book is written for families who find themselves in this situation. The authors have had many years of experience working withhead-injured people in both research and rehabilitation roles. The effects of injury are explained in non-technical terms and, where possible, practical ways of overcoming these effects are described. Because they also have many years of experience working with organisations that have been formedto help the families of the head-injured, the authors know the main areas of concern that these families have. Beginning with the injury itself, the stages that the patient will go through are described, and the procedures and techniques that will be used to chart progress are explained. As wellas these direct effects of the injury on the victim, the book also examines the ways that head trauma can affect families and friends. For the person who will eventually recover sufficiently to do so, there are suggestions on managing the return to work or school most effectively. For those whowill never reach this level, there is a section which describes the long-term adjustments that these people and their care-givers need to make. The final section outlines the requirements of a head injury rehabilitation system, and gives some suggestions about the steps that individuals can take toensure that this sort of service is provided in their area. This new edition has been fully updated, to reflect the recent advances in medical science that mean that many more people with head injury survive, and also new trends in health care and rehabilitation.