Brain Injury After Hospital

Topic: Brain Injury After Hospital: Making the transition from Hospital to Home

January, 2012

Elizabeth Baron is the Regional Lead for Acquired Brain Injury Supports in Home and Community Care within Vancouver Coastal Health. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Linguistics at the University of Alberta in April of 1993 and went on to complete her Masters of Speech-Language Pathology in June of 1995 (also at the University of Alberta). Her Masters research was awarded the Isabel Richard Student Paper award in 1996.

Elizabeth’s first experience with acquired brain injury began at Alberta Hospital Ponoka’s Brain Injury Program in the summer of 1995. She moved toVancouver in 1996 and subsequently worked for 12 years on the acute Neurosciences Program at Vancouver General Hospital as well as at UBC Hospital. Elizabeth has operated a private practice in speech language pathology specializing in children and adults with acquired brain injury/neurological disorders and communication and/or swallowing difficulties since 1998.

In her current role, Elizabeth provides clinical practice support and education to community case managers across Vancouver Coastal Health and promotes the development and implementation of better practice standards in acquired brain injury. Her responsibilities include development of collaborative community partnerships and integrated services, community education, strategic direction and development of regional capacity for acquired brain injury, alignment with provincial initiatives, and promotion and prevention initiatives.

Elizabeth is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Question

I had brain surgery 8 years ago and need help so that I can live my daily life pain free. I did a lot of excercise on the bike as I'm still using a cane at the moment but recovery feels too slow. I get stressed thinking about my lovely children growing up and when I wake up at night have problems getting back to sleep again. 

Answer

Hello,

Thanks for your question.  You aren’t alone in the frustration you are experiencing.  When people are in hospital immediately after their brain injury or surgery they are cocooned away from the normal stressors of daily life and often surrounded by a fairly extensive health care team who can lend support, provide exercises, answer questions and so on.  When people go home from the hospital, and certainly as more time passes after their brain injury, it is not uncommon to feel alone and unsupported in how to deal with  your recovery.  Discussing your concerns and frustrations with your family doctor is always a good place to start, though not all doctors may be fully aware of what supports exist for acquired brain injury in each community.  

I hear you have some specific concerns about your pain that relate specifically to your ankle and your mobility.  It may be worthwhile to ask your doctor if it would be appropriate for you to see a pain specialist, a physician specializing in chronic pain.  Sometime they can offer new ideas around how to reduce and cope with pain.  There is also a relatively new website, www.painbc.ca, which provides some information, solutions and tools for living with pain which you may want to review with a friend/family member or health care provider to see if it would be helpful for you.  Depending on where you live, case management services for your brain injury may also be available (search for local resources here).  It may be helpful to see if the community case manager in your area has some ideas about local supports or services that may be useful for you.  In your case, some things to inquire about may be: local exercise programs, physiotherapy, counseling support around stress and recovery from ABI, suggestions to support better sleep after ABI, and suggestions for coping with pain. 

Getting back to life after brain injury and being in hospital can be frustrating and slow.  Sometimes creating a community of supports around yourself can be challenging.  Hopefully these suggestions will help you find some supports in your community that may help you move forward, one day at a time. 

Best regards, Liz