Page 10 - Healthcare News Mar/Apr 2022

REHABILITATION
Mind Over Matters
Alyssa Bustamante, an occupational therapist with ServiceNet.
Teamwork is the Key
issue.
The effects of a brain injury are unique to each individual. The profession-
fwo r T r e a t i n g T h o s e
als who work with afflicted patients design individualized treatment plans for each patient. Everyone involved shares a common goal — to help the patient get back to their maximum level of function and independence.
HCN talked with three professional groups that work with brain injury patients at different stages of the recovery process. Those associated with these groups shared common thoughts on what they do and the underlying goals behind their work.
Aith Brain Injuries By MARK MORRIS
A brain injury is very often a life-changing event, they said. And those who work with those who have suffered such injuries dedicate themselves to help- ing patients get the most out of what could be considered their new life.
Thought-provoking Examples
When a person suffers a brain injury, they receive their initial care at an acute care hospital such as Baystate Medical Center or Mercy Medical Center. The next step is a stay in a rehabilitation facility such as Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Western Massachusetts in Ludlow, where the typi- cal patient may spend from seven up to 21 days, depending on the severity of the brain injury.
ccording to the Center for Neurological Studies, someone in the U.S. sustains a brain injury every nine seconds. You can do the math.
All brain injuries that are not hereditary are consid- ered acquired brain injuries. One well-known type is a
traumatic brain injury (TBI), which results from a car accident, sports injury, a fall, or other incident. The other type of acquired brain injury (ABI) results from events such as a stroke, encephalitis, a brain tumor, or other medical
10 WWW.HEALTHCARENEWS.COM MARCH/APRIL 2022