A brain injury refers to any damage to the brain. It could be through physical trauma (such as a fall, car accident or assault) or from an illness (such as a stroke or brain tumour).
Effects of a brain injury
The effects of brain injury are different for each person, depending on how severe the injury was and which parts of the brain were affected. The brain controls everything in our body: our thinking, memory, movement, strength, coordination, speech, vision, mood and behaviour. An injury to the brain can affect all or just some of these functions.
The brain can recover over time, with most of the recovery occurring in the first two years. Recovery depends on many factors, such as how the brain was injured, the severity of the injury and the person’s access to rehabilitation and support.
Usually, people will spend a few weeks to many months in hospital after a brain injury. Once at home, they may participate in an outpatient rehabilitation program. These programs can be intensive and involve different therapists. Not everyone recovers at the same rate or to the same degree.
Some effects of brain injury will be obvious, such as walking with a limp, inability to use one arm or poor vision. Others may not be visible, such as memory problems, mental fatigue, difficulties concentrating, planning or multitasking. Sometimes people experience changes to their personality. These may be subtle, like being more talkative, or more noticeable, like difficulty controlling emotions or interacting with other people.
Impact of brain injury and returning to work
Returning to work is a common goal for many people with brain injury. It is part of their rehabilitation, like returning to their other life activities and responsibilities.
Most people hope to return to the job they had when they were injured. And most employers are motivated to support them. But everyone needs some guidance to achieve this.
There is no ‘best time’ to return to work after a brain injury. Keeping in touch with the person and their family following the injury is a good first step. It is best to be guided by the person and their medical and rehabilitation team about their readiness to return to work.