The Emotional and Financial Impact of TBI
Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, occurs frequently in the U.S. Over 1.4 million people every year suffer from TBI. The impact of this kind of injury to a person who has suffered from TBI is huge.
Normal Functions Diminished
A person who has suffered TBI may find that their usual abilities are lessened or lost after their injury.
Thinking capacity may be lowered, including memory and reasoning, and logical sequencing of events.
The sensations may also be affected touch, smell and taste are often altered beyond recognition for a brain injury sufferers.
A patient's ability to use language as a means of expression is nearly always diminished by a TBI. Patients can t always communicate their thoughts and feelings well, and they often have trouble with non verbal communication. Sending and interpreting non verbal cues is actually tricky business, and brain trauma makes it especially difficult.
Emotions become even more complex and challenging for a person with TBI. Many times these patients suffer from depression and anxiety as a result of their injury, or even as a result of their altered circumstances.
Many experience personality changes, increased aggression in their interpersonal interactions, acting out and poor social awareness. They often behave in ways that fall outside the social norms because they no longer understand those norms in a way a person who has not suffered TBI does.
Because of all of these factors, TBI patients often need help for the rest of their lives with basic daily tasks, causing them a great deal of emotional stress and sometimes depression.
There are huge emotional tolls on the person who suffers from these severe brain injuries. These tolls come as a result of the injuries themselves and as a result of knowing that they have decreased mental capacity.
Financial Impact
Dealing with TBI has serious financial consequences for the patient and the patient's family.
Firstly, the care and treatment of the illness lasts for a lifetime. This means a that the medical costs alone can be astronomical. This is an illness that can stretch the lifetime benefits of major policies and leave families holding the bag for additional costs.
ATBI patient will need to have accommodations made for housing, transportation and education, all of which can costs thousands. These costs can also be ongoing and seemingly have no end.
One major cost of TBI that is sometimes overlooked is the loss of income suffered by the victim of the injury.
Many victims are unable to work or unable to work at their chosen careers following a brain injury. Many have to quit school or take an old job back because they are unable to learn or to function properly.
They often get fired from their previous employment because their mental functions are not able to keep up with the necessary tasks. Since many of these people never regain their jobs because the damages caused by brain injuries.
This means a long term loss of income as a result of TBI becomes a huge factor in counting the financial impact of the illness.