TBI Voices

High Interest Equals High Functioning After Severe Brain Injury: Kevin Part One We have had two stories where music played an important role in the therapy and recovery of survivors from severe traumatic brain injury, Helena and Jeremiah.  Music therapy has an established and expanding role in the medical field.  Yet,..
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Before Severe Brain Injury: Kevin Part Two Before severe brain injury, Kevin was 34 when he got hurt – married with one child.  He had a job with the Morgan Corporation. What did you do at the Morgan Corporation before severe brain injury? I was a painter.  I painted truck bodies. ..
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Memories of Brain Injury Rehab: Kevin Part Three As we have discussed in most of our previous stories, the length of amnesia is the most significant indicator of severity of brain injury.  A loss of memory for more than a month indicates a very serious injury.  He was in University Hospital..
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Discharged from TBI Rehab: Kevin Part Four My first brain injury clients weren’t personal injury clients – they were severe TBI survivors who had been arrested for spousal battery, batteries that occurred largely because they were discharged from TBI rehab too early.  Ultimately all of those cases resulted in divorces, which negatively..
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Relearning to Walk After TBI: Kevin Part  Five In our stories, we focus on the physical manifestations of severe traumatic brain injury when relevant. As with most severe brain injuries, the physical is relevant for Kevin. In this part of the interview we talked to Kevin about relearning to walk after..
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Speech Problems After Severe Brain Injury: Kevin Part Six The most noticeable deficit that Kevin has is his fluency with language.  As can be seen on any of his videos, his answers while always responsive and generally logical, were often delivered in a halting voice.   I asked him about his speech..
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Spectator Memory: Kevin Part Seven There were times in our interview that Kevin’s disability seemed quite significant.  His memory, his speech, his insight were often impaired.  Yet, that perception was significantly altered when I got him talking about his interests as a fan, of his two favorite Chicagosports teams and his..
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Spectating Based Cognitive Therapy: Kevin Part Eight My undergraduate major was in sports journalism and my minor in education. I had to take a teaching remedial reading class as part of my education program.  I got the idea then that perhaps sports stories could be used to help inner city youths..
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Cognitive Functioning: Kevin Part Nine Kevin’s world is not just spectating.  While his living and ongoing treatment situation leaves him somewhat sheltered, he still has many areas where his cognitive functioning issues cause him difficulty. So you, your ability to remember things as important to you as sporting events isn’t bad. ..
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 After Severe TBI: Kevin Part Ten To help assess his current functioning after severe TBI, Kevin was asked about his normal day.  Each week-day includes attendance at Paragon Industries, a program designed to serve people with disabilities.  See http://paragoncommunity.com/ A Typical Day for Kevin After Severe TBI Do you get fatigued?..
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