Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury
TBI Care
A brain injury is a sudden event that can change a life. Whether it’s a mild injury that simply requires rest and monitoring or a serious traumatic injury that can result in serious permanent disabilities, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are physical injuries to the brain that require expert, specialized assessment and treatment to ensure the best long-term outcome.
DRM Genesis has been providing qualified staffing services since 2002. We specialize in all aspects of TBI care including the following: case management, pain management, catheter care, 24 hour care, wound care and more. DRM Genesis caregivers are specially trained and well equipped to work with TBI patients with injuries ranging from mild, simply requiring monitoring to a more severe permanant disability. Our caregivers can be arranged to provide services in a residential/assisted living facility or at home. For more information for Private in home care call 517-882-3544
Other services provided include
- Assistance with daily morning and evening routines
- Respite Care
- Bathing/Grooming and Dressing
- Meal Planning and Preparation
- Incontinence and Toileting
- Managing and Administering Medications
- Companionship
- Case Management
Click the link below for an interesting article on:
Brain Injury Association of Michigan Files Suit Against the MCCA- June 2012
"Depression After Traumatic Brain Injury"
Strategies for Preventing Suicide in TBI Patients
Other TBI Information State of Michigan- Dept. of Community Health
Spinal Cord Injury Care
A spinal cord injury (SCI) refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence. Spinal cord injuries are described at various levels of "incomplete", which can vary from having no effect on the patient to a "complete" injury which means a total loss of function.
Treatment of spinal cord injuries starts with restraining the spine and controlling inflammation to prevent further damage. The actual treatment can vary widely depending on the location and extent of the injury. In many cases, spinal cord injuries require substantial physical therapy and rehabilitation, especially if the patient's injury interferes with activities of daily life.
Spinal cord injuries have many causes, but are typically associated with major trauma from motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries, and violence. Research into treatments for spinal cord injuries includes controlled hypothermia and stem cells, though many treatments have not been studied thoroughly and very little new research has been implemented in standard care.
TBI Facts and Stats
Each year traumatic brain injury disables 80,000 to 90,000 people in the United States. 6 Groups with the highest risk factors for traumatic brain injury include:
- Seniors have increasing numbers of traumatic brain injury due to falls
- Males (about 1.5 times as likely as females to sustain a brain injury)
- Young children or teenagers (especially infants to 4-year-olds and 15–19-year-olds)
- Engaging in high risk work or recreation activities
- Operators of motor vehicles
Spinal Cord Injury & Information
Occurrence
- Nearly 200,000 people in the U.S. live with a disability related to a spinal cord injury (SCI) (Berkowitz, 1998).
- Approximately 11,000 Americans sustain an SCI each year (CDC unpublished data).
- The leading cause of SCI varies by age. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause among persons under age 65. Among persons age 65 and older, falls cause most SCIs (CDC unpublished data).
- Sports and recreation activities cause an estimated 18% of SCI cases (Berkowitz, 1998).
Consequences
Secondary conditions are a major health issue for people living with SCI. Secondary conditions are negative health outcomes that occur as a direct result of a SCI-related disability. The most common secondary conditions are pressure sores, respiratory complications, urinary tract infections, spasticity, and scoliosis (McKinley, 1999; Meyers, 2000).
Groups at risk
- Males are more likely than females to sustain an SCI.
- More than half of the people who sustain SCIs are 15 to 29 years old (CDC unpublished data).
