Home > Blog > September 2017 > What Challenges Can a Senior Face After Suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury on the Right Side of Thei

What Challenges Can a Senior Face After Suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury on the Right Side of Thei

Posted: 10/1/2017 7:25 AM by Interim HealthCare

TBI, or traumatic brain injury, is a pressing risk for elderly adults. Most frequently caused by falls, but also potentially caused by motor vehicle crashes and other accidents, TBI results when the brain is jostled or bumped, resulting in a change of function that can be either mild or severe. This type of injury results in nearly 3 million visits to the emergency room and 5 thousand deaths throughout the United States each year. If you are a family caregiver for an elderly adult who has suffered such an injury, it is important to understand it as thoroughly as possible to help you to give them the care that they need as they manage the effects and work toward recovery.

One important thing to understand about TBI is the impact that the location of the injury can have. Where the injury occurs influences how your parent’s functioning is compromised. The right side of the brain is creative, imaginative, and conceptual side of the brain that is responsible for the “big picture”.

Traumatic brain injuries to this side of the brain can result in challenges include:
• Loss of the ability to see or understand the “big picture” of a situation
• Impairment with visual-spatial information and function
• Deficits in visual memory, or being able to recall things that they have seen
• Impairment of or reduced usage of the left side of the body
• Decreased awareness of the challenges or limitations that they are facing
• Changes in their creativity
• Changes in the way that they perceive music

Starting senior care for your aging parent can be one of the best decisions that you can make for them during the course of your caregiver journey. A senior home care services provider can be with your parent on a customized schedule to ensure that they have consistent access to the level of care that they need, while also fostering independence and keeping your care efforts at the forefront of their routine. Through a highly personalized set of services, this care provider can help to ensure that your parent stays happy, healthy, comfortable, and safe, while supporting a lifestyle that is as active, engaged, and fulfilling as possible as they age in place. As their family caregiver, this can give you peace of mind that any care gaps that might exist in your routine will be filled efficiently and effectively, and that your parent can enjoy a higher quality of life.

Learn more about senior care for a traumatic brain injury.