BRAIN INJURY PROGRAM

After a person suffers brain injury, he/she may face varying levels of physical, cognitive and emotional deficits. At Carolinas Rehabilitation, the experienced team of healthcare professionals coordinate treatment programs. Teams are individualized for each patient, so that he/she may regain physical and/or cognitive and emotional abilities.

Inpatient Brain Injury Program

Sensory Stimulation Program
Sensory Stimulation is a structured program that was designed to bridge a gap between the trauma center and acute rehabilitation. It involves consistent stimulation to all of the senses to improve endurance, responsivity, attention and initiation. It also includes trials of psychostimulant medications to increase arousal and consistent response.

Acute Brain Injury Program
This specialized program serves the people who have suffered brain injury and can benefit from many kinds of treatments and therapies. Patients may begin the program once they are medically stable, can breathe without assistance, are able to sit for an hour and are physically strong enough to participate in at least three hours of treatment per day.

The program uses an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals to provide care and monitor the patient's progress throughout his/her hospitalization. The team meets frequently throughout the hospitalization to assure coordination of the patient's treatment program, which is individually tailored to meet his/her needs.

Treatment is provided individually and in group therapy sessions. The referring or family physician is always a member of the team, and may participate directly or receive status reports as he/she may prefer.

Neuro-Behavioral Services
Some people with brain injuries may manifest confusion, agitation or behavioral difficulties that require a highly structured and consistent environment to facilitate the return of self-management skills. This program also provides for the safe management of the patient through highly trained staff and integrated services.

Treatment goals are to maximize physical abilities, functional skills, cognitive strengths and behavioral self-management.

Outpatient Brain Injury Program
Outpatient Brain Injury Services provide an interdisciplinary approach that includes individual and group therapy treatment, patient planning and treatment conferences.

The global mission of the Outpatient Brain Injury Program is to establish functional cognitive and physical abilities allowing the patient to return to independent living. Treatment of brain injuries places an emphasis on necessary cognitive, as well as physical, skills to return to a functional level in mainstream society. These skills include independent time management, use of organizational systems to compensate for deficits and utilization of resources within their environment.

Vocational Services
These services are for patients needing cognitive retraining and compensatory-strategy training to accommodate learning style and vocational/independent living goals. Carolinas Rehabilitation's vocational programs also provide transitional services to foster generalization and carryover of learned skills into the community, home and work site environment.

Cognitive Education
Cognitive and academic assessment is offered through on-site evaluations of the academic institution, as well as providing intervention to improve academic and cognitive skills necessary for academic re-entry. (These might include such skills as organization, note-taking, problem solving, etc.)

Speech Therapy
Assessment of language and cognitive deficits affecting learning style is also available through Carolinas Rehabilitation's Outpatient Brain Injury Program. Speech therapy provides intervention to improve communication skills, such as rate of speech, and receptive and expressive language skills. Through this therapy the need for compensatory strategies is determined and cognitive retraining, with particular emphasis on improving education and communication.

Psychology
The Outpatient Brain Injury Program offers education and psychotherapy to assist patients and families in developing healthy coping skills. Adjustment is facilitated with community re-integration, cognitive retraining and goal setting for parents.

Occupational Therapy
Assessments of functional household skills such as money management, dressing, child-care and sensory motor skills are available through occupational therapy. An assessment of driving skills is also available. Intervention to maximize independence and to facilitate improvement or compensation for sensory motor limitations is also provided.

Physiatry
Physiatrists are available through Carolinas Rehabilitation's Outpatient Brain Injury Program to provide assessments of medical status, as well as to offer medical intervention to the patient and consultation to outside physicians. These specialized physicians also provide education regarding brain injury to facilitate the patient's and family's understanding of brain injury.

For more information about the Brain Injury Program or to make a referral, please call 800-634-2256 or email.