See our TBI Home Page for a full list of information about Brain Injury, and links to information and strategies relating to memory, attention, social skills, executive functioning, and improving communication.
Adapting your home and improving your communication environment
After a traumatic brain injury, many of the difficulties mentioned in previous sections will mean making adaptations to your home environment to help you communicate and manage your everyday living tasks. Treatment, rehabilitation and recovery may be slow, but using simple strategies can help you manage day to day tasks. For instance, if you have difficulties with remembering, you can use calendars, post-it notes, and mobile phone alarms to remind you of appointments or tasks. When communicating, making sure there is no background noise or distractions can improve communication and understanding. Other people in your home can also help you by using better communication skills themselves, such as facing you when talking, talking more slowly, and giving you more time to process and respond.
The longer term outlook
Your brain will make some spontaneous recovery following a brain injury, but often you will be left with residual or even serious difficulties because of your injury. A big part of rehabilitation will focus on adaptation of your environment and your communication. Through the use of many simple strategies and possibly technology you can facilitate communication and daily cognitive tasks and lead a full, active and independent life.
For more information about communication difficulties, and ideas and strategies to help communication, see our Resources, or for specific fact-sheets about TBI and information and strategies for improving communication, memory and attention skills go to the Downloads Section.
Recommended Reading
For a wider range of books, click here to see our Bookshop.