Neuro/OT...

Hi all - I am an OT student and am thinking about studying neurological Occupational Therapy and have done a fair amount of research on traumatic brain injury. I'm concerned about all of the veterans coming home from the war with TBI as well as normal patients and wanted to know what other OT's think. Is TBI a major disorder and is that something that needs to be really addressed by OT's? Thanks.

Hi, I am a student who is finishing up undergrad this year and going into a program this fall. I cannot tell you as an OT, but I can tell you as a TBI survivor it is something that needs to be addressed.

In 2001 I had a hiking accident that put me in a coma. When I woke up I went through OT/PT/ST for months. It was very important for me to regain my spacial ability, problem solving, and negotiations with society. I had therapy ranging from putting on my shirt, to supervised visits to golden coral while the OT observed my split second descision making outside of the hospital. I have been told that there is a high burnout rate with brain injury. No two cases are the same. If you want to email me at mattsflorenceemail@yahoo.com I could talk to you about this further. I am wanting to go into neuro as well.

I have been an OT practicing in neuro rehab for over 25 years. OT absoulutely makes an invaluable contribution to the potentially devastated TBI client and family. There are innumerable TBIs that go undiagnosed and untreated...military and civilian. These individuals can certainly be helped to understand their recovery obstacles and to regain life skills, but clinicians need to be passionate and dogged re: finding and maintaining funding sources for their therapy. Politicians and insurors also need to be educated re: the financial gains of rehabilitating these folks back to productive lives. I would think that the VA would be a great place to start.