Brain Waves: UAB Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Newsletter Volume 15 | Number 1
VOL 15 | NUM 1
2017
BrainWaves
UAB Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Digital Newsletter
Headline News
The University of Alabama at
Birmingham Traumatic Brain Injury
Model System (UAB-TBIMS)
provides Brain Waves twice annually
as an informational resource for people
with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
UAB-TBIMS Program Director:
Thomas Novack, PhD
Brain Waves Editor: Phil Klebine, MA
529 Spain Rehabilitation Center
1717 6th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35233-7330
Phone: 205-934-3283
TDD: 205-934-4642
Fax: 205-975-4691
WWW.UAB.EDU/TBI
[email protected]
/UABTBIMS
/UABTBIMS
/UABTBIMS
The contents of this publication
were developed under a
grant from the National
Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number
90DP0044). NIDILRR is a Center within the
Administration for Community Living (ACL),
Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS). The contents of this publication do not
necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR,
ACL, HHS, and you should not assume
endorsement by the Federal Government.
©2017 University of Alabama Board of Trustees.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
provides equal opportunity in education and
employment.
Research In Focus, a weekly publication of the National Rehabilitation
Information Center, recently featured two reader-friendly summaries
from traumatic brain injury (TBI) research.
In the first, researchers at the Northern California Traumatic Brain
Injury Model System of Care evaluated two 12-week programs, an
experimental walking program and a comparison program about
nutrition. Half of the participants started with the walking program and
then completed the nutrition program, and the other half completed the
nutrition program first followed by the walking program. The researchers
found that:
• The walking program was effective in helping increase everyday
walking. On average, participants took 30% more steps during the
last week of the program than at the beginning of the program.
• Average fatigue levels decreased between the beginning and end of
the walking program. After the three months of no coaching, fatigue
was still lower than at the beginning of the study.
• The nutrition program had little effect on fatigue, and it did not
matter whether the walking program was done before or after the
nutrition program.
In the second study, University of Washington Traumatic Brain Injury
Model System researchers asked caregivers for adults with moderate
or severe TBI to complete two interviews. One asked caregivers about
their relationship with the TBI survivor, their participation in community
activities, and their use of resources for support or services. The second
was a telephone counseling intervention where caregivers learned
problem-solving skills. The researchers found that:
• Most caregivers had a close relationship with the TBI survivor where
many were spouses or parents of the survivor. They had known the
TBI survivor for an average of almost 25 years, and most lived with
the TBI survivor or spoke to him or her up to several times per week.
Most caregivers were female, while most TBI survivors were male.
• Many caregivers reduced their own personal and financial
involvement in activities after they began caregiving. Over the six
months following discharge home, 77% of caregivers reported
cutting back on leisure activities, 58% reported making financial
sacrifices, 47% reported reducing school or work hours, and 43%
reported taking at least a month off from school or work to devote
more time to caregiving.
• By 6 months after discharge, many caregivers were returning to
work, school, and doing things they enjoyed. At that time, 45% of
caregivers reported cutting back on leisure activities, 20% reduced
their work or school hours, and 12% reported taking a month
or more off of work or school. The financial outlook also slightly
improved, with 43% reporting making financial sacrifices.
• Caregivers were more likely to reach out to family and friends
for support rather than tapping into more formal resources like
caregiver support groups, counseling, or government-funded home
healthcare assistance.