Definition of Acquired Brain Injury (continued)

Acquired brain injuries can result in changes to how a person functions in the following areas:

Physical Changes

• Problems with walking, sitting, transfers, bathing, household tasks
  
• Slurred speech
  
• Chronic pain including headaches
  
• Fatigue and sleep difficulties
  

Cognitive Changes

• Takes more time to make sense of information
  
• Problems with planning, organizing or starting tasks
  
• Problems with vision
  
• Problems understanding conversations, coming up with the right word, talking in grammatically complete sentences
  
• Easily distracted
  
• Poor memory
  
• Difficulty with judgement and decision making
  
• Preservation - getting 'stuck' on a topic, idea or activity
  
• Confusion - may not know the date, year, time of day, where they are
  
• Impulsivity - act before you think
  
• Disinhibition - no "social filter" to tell you when you shouldn';t do or say something
  

Emotional Changes

• Irritability - "short fuse"
  
• Mood disorders like depression, anxiety, anger management problems
  
• Emotional liability - crying for no apparent reason
  
• Emotional or behavioral outbursts
  
• "Normal" emotional responses to the incredibly devastating impact of the brain injury
  
• Sadness, anger, frustration, loss of sense of self, anxiety about having another stroke or injury
  

Social Changes

• Awkwardness or inappropriate behavior because of difficulty reading social cues
  
• Isolating yourself because you feel different and therefore leading to being treated differently
  
• Trouble with social and work relationships because of awkwardness and poor coping skills
  
• Family breakdowns
  
• Loss of privacy, independence, future plans, income
  
• Change in roles - (was a caregiver, now has to receive care from others)