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"We receive calls from families across the country looking for resources,some sort of guidance to help them understand the changes in their loved onewith a brain injury and how to effectively communicate with them," EricMakowski, CEO of CORE Health Care and president of the Brain InjuryAssociation of Texas, said. "We scoured the country but found that there wasno such tool in existence, so we created it."
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In addition to a user friendly manual, the CORE Family Trainer packetprovides a DVD of conceptual role-playing that illustrates common problemsfamilies may encounter at home with friends or loved ones who have survived abrain injury.
"A brain injury can be extremely difficult, not only for the patient, butalso for his or her family members and loved ones," Richard Temple, Ph.D.,vice president of clinical operations for CORE Health Care, said. "Thisinstructional DVD shows actual scenarios and the appropriate ways in which torespond to them."
The DVD includes paraprofessional staff members from CORE Health Care whohave years of experience working with brain injury patients, rather thanactors. Their first-hand knowledge of "de-escalation techniques" and behaviormodification gives the scenarios an authentic feel. The scenarios illustrate"less effective" techniques versus "more effective" ways to respond to commonbehaviors, followed by a panel discussion between two rehabilitationprofessionals and a neuropsychologist.
"Understanding why a brain injury patient behaves in a particular way isonly part of the learning process," Temple said. "Learning effective ways tocounter that behavior is a critical key to helping the patient to recover."
As families review the manual, watch the DVD and practice the conceptualrole-play situations, they will gain a deeper understanding of the two keyconcepts of recovery.
-- Behaviors that appear to be willful may not be so. Although thebehavior may look to be willful and purposeful, it is often not a consciousact. Many times, these behaviors are the result of the injury relatingdirectly to specific areas of the patient's brain. Understanding this pointallows the caregiver to learn how to avoid taking these incidents personally.
-- There is hope for things to improve over time. The very latestrehabilitation research empirically proves that new and permanent neuronalconnections can be made, even in impaired brains. This knowledge of thebrain's plasticity opens up a world of opportunities for long-term survivorsof brain injury, developmental disorders, and psychiatric illness. The brainis always changing, and it is becoming increasingly evident thatrehabilitation can affect the direction and utility of that change. The homeenvironment can be a positive catalyst to help foster continued long-termrecovery if some thought is given to creating a supportive situation.
The skills made available to families through the CORE Family Trainer DVDare supported by research and are well established principles of treatmentfound in the best rehabilitation facilities throughout the country.
To order the DVD, please visit http://www.corefamilytrainer.com or call866.683.1007.
About CORE Health Care
CORE Health Care is based in Dripping Springs, Texas and provides post-acute rehabilitation for brain injury and long-term care for individualsdiagnosed with brain injuries, autism, psychiatric disorders and other specialneeds. The licensed professional staff provides psychiatric and medical care;cognitive, physical, occupational, speech and psychotherapy; and vocationaland educational development with a personalized program for each resident.CORE's continuum of care is designed to restore self-directed functionalability to individuals so that they can live in the least restrictiveenvironment possible with minimal need for support services.
CORE is committed to staying on the cutting edge of new researchdiscoveries to provide our clients with the most effective treatments based onthe best available scientific evidence. Neuroplasticity is the guidingphilosophy for rehabilitation. In the context of an intense, comprehensiveprogram, repeated learning trials are presented that can actually rebuildconnections that were damaged by the injury or illness. These new discoveriesprovide reason for hope and optimism in the long rehabilitation process, aswell as motivation for the individual to persist with the hard work necessaryto improve.Contacts: Erin Ochoa or Kristin Marcum Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations 512.472.9599
SOURCE CORE Health Care
