Caring for a Brain Injury Patient

The brain is the puppet master of the mind and body. When it is touched by illness or injury our functionality, comprehension, and communication can be greatly impaired. Brain disorders, injuries, and encephalopathies interfere with a person’s ability to understand and manage their condition, which can make caring for them quite a challenge. Home health and hospice care teams offer relief for caregivers while providing quality care for people who are struggling with brain impairment.

• Brain disorders such as stroke can be recovered from through rehabilitation with varying rates of success depending on size, location, and extent of the damage. Other disorders such as brain cancer can be treated with limited success, while neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s disease, ALS, Parkinson’s, and dementia cause progressive brain and nerve deterioration resulting in total disability.

• Traumatic brain injures (TBI) are usually caused by blunt force trauma that causes cerebral edema, strokes, hematomas and concussions. These injuries interfere with the brain’s ability to communicate with the rest of the body and often cause personality changes, memory loss, comprehension deficiency, and some loss of motor skills, all of which can usually be partially recovered through rehabilitation.

• Encephalopathy is a broad term for several brain conditions, most of which are thought to be the result of another primary problem such as cirrhosis, kidney failure, anoxia, or repeated brain trauma, *CTE. Prognosis can range from complete recovery to permanent brain damage or death.

Home health offers specialized care for patients with brain illnesses. Patients can become confused and easily agitated or quick to anger. They often don’t fully understand what’s being asked of them or why they can no longer perform a certain task. This leads to frustration that can add stress to an already stressful situation. Home health care can provide the therapy patients need in the peaceful familiarity of their home.

As a patient’s condition deteriorates, hospice provides pain and symptom management, as well as counseling for families dealing with the heartbreaking neurodegenerative illness of someone they love.

• Brain Awareness week may not be until March, but it’s always a good time to ping social media about the importance of neurological research and of helping those with brain illnesses lead happier lives.

• Look for networking opportunities in your community to educate your neighbors about recognizing symptoms of brain illness and the rehabilitation and disease management services your agency can provide.

• Be sure to Include neurologists in your sphere of referring physicians. Provide them with condition specific print media highlighting your agency’s proficiency in treating neurological conditions.

Visit our online webstore to view our complete line of home health, private duty, and hospice marketing tools.

*Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a dementia-like condition that appears years after receiving multiple concussions.

What is aphasia and how does home health care benefit individuals with this condition?

Aphasia is a condition that occurs when the language areas of the brain are damaged by injury, stroke, or tumor. There are three main types of aphasia: fluent, non-fluent, and global.

Wernicke’s, the most common type of fluent aphasia, is the result of damage to the temporal lobe of the brain. People with Wernicke’s aphasia tend to speak in long phrases that have no meaning, such as: Cat washing the door is that honey bee and my hour glass doorarator tomorrow. They are often unaware of their mistakes and struggle with language comprehension.

Broca’s, the most common type of non-fluent aphasia, develops when the frontal lobe of the brain is injured or damaged. People with Broca’s tend to have paralysis on the right side of their body and can understand speech, and know what they want to say, but they struggle to say or write it. They generally are only able to blurt out small phrases or a couple of words at a time.  

Global aphasia is the result of extensive damage to the brain’s language areas. Those with global aphasia experience severe disabilities of speech and language comprehension.

Home health agencies routinely treat patients recovering from strokes, debilitating brain injuries, and brain cancer. When someone suffers a brain injury, they experience both a physical and mental loss of control. This loss of control can cause some to feel anxious, afraid, or agoraphobic when leaving the confines of their home. Home health care benefits these patients by providing them quality medical care, and physical, and speech therapies in the safety if their home environment. Personalized care administered in a private home setting can result in greater patient participation and a higher rate of recovery.

Emphasize the quality and convenience of home care in your marketing strategies. Provide patient outcome scores in the print media you choose to increase your physician referrals.

May is National Stroke Awareness Month and the perfect time to raise awareness about stroke prevention and the benefits of choosing home health care. Why not partner with local community organizations to sponsor a Purple Walk or 5k run.

• Provide blood pressure screening and information on healthy eating and age appropriate exercises that can lower the risk for stroke and cardiovascular disease.

• Encourage food trucks that cater to a heart healthy diet to join in.

• Invite the local media to participate and report on the event.

Visit TAGWebstore.com to order your print media and hand-outs for the event.

Home Care and Huntington’s Disease

Home Health and Hospice agencies care for patients with progressive brain disorders such as cancer, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is a progressive hereditary brain disorder that usually develops between the ages of 30 and 50.  The early symptoms can be vague and exhibit as irritability, depression, or difficulty grasping new information. These are often accompanied by physical indicators such as loss of coordination or small involuntary twitches. As the disease progresses these small twitches become more pronounced, making it difficult to walk, stand or even swallow. Huntington’s disease will eventually result in severe mental and physical disability.

The benefits that home health care provides neurological patients with physical disabilities is obvious. What may not be obvious is how home care can reduce the confusion and anxiety that a patient with diminished brain function experiences when leaving their safety zone. Oftentimes even leaving the confines of their bedroom can be overwhelming for them.

When marketing your services always emphasize the emotional benefit that Home Health and Hospice provides patients and their families. No one wants to see someone they love suffer, let alone become agitated to the point of sedation while being transported for treatment. Home Care minimizes episodes of agitation and in some cases can almost eliminate the need for a patient to leave home at all.

With May approaching, and being Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month, here are some ways your agency can get involved:

• Partner with your referral sources and sponsor a TEAM HOPE WALK to raise awareness and provide hope for those suffering with Huntington’s Disease.

• Organize a SRIKE OUT HD night at your local bowling alley. Encourage other Home Care and Hospice agencies to join you to raise awareness. Be sure to invite the local Media, and don’t forget to post the event on your social media outlets.

• Get involved with local brain injury support groups. Provide refreshments and information on your company’s respite services and in-home support for caregivers.

Support Resources:  The Michael J. Fox Foundations - Parkinson’s Support | National Brain Tumor Society  | Brainline |HDSA

Visit TAGWebstore.com for Home Health. Home Care, and Hospice marketing media.

Brain Injury Awareness & Home Health

Focus your attention on neurology this March by highlighting Brain injury awareness month. It is an opportunity to share how home health, private duty, and hospice services benefit those suffering from brain injury. Each March the Brain Injury Association of America leads the charge to raise awareness about the lasting effects that brain injuries have on patients and their families.  

Home care agencies routinely care for patients who have experienced brain damaging events. Many of these patients can make partial or nearly full recovery with proper care. These case treatments require a multifaceted team effort. Select print media that highlights the many ways that home health and hospice assist patients and their families struggling with brain injury:

• Improved quality of life

• Pain Management

• Speech Therapy

• Physical Therapy

• Occupational Therapy

• Patient Education

There are multiple benefits for referring physicians too:

• Reduced readmissions

• Reduced emergency room visits

• Up to date clinical assessment

• Better case management

• Streamlined care plans

• Increased revenue through care plan oversight billing

Mild brain trauma affects brain function temporarily where as more serious injuries can result in physical damage to the brain leading to disability or death. Injuries which cause extensive loss of brain function with a deteriorating condition likely to result in loss of life within six months can receive quality end of life care with a hospice provider.

Lasting effects from serious brain injury:

• Cognitive Deficiency

• Motor or Perceptual Sensory Deficiency

• Language impairment

• Epilepsy

• Death

Supply the neurological specialists in your service area with print media that highlights the advantages of including home health, private duty, and hospice as part of the brain injury team. Visit Tagwebtore.com for all your home care print media.