Clinical Services

Individuals with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) often face life long challenges as a result of their injury and may have clinical issues that arise throughout their lives.  These challenges include but are not limited to:

• Cognitive changes that typically affect how a person’s brain functions. A person may have challenges with attention, concentration, processing, planning, impulse control, reasoning, problem solving, memory and learning.
• Physical changes that typically affect how a person moves their body or limbs. A person may experience weakness on one or both sides of their body, challenges with balance, coordination, spasticity, decreased energy and chronic pain. The person may require assistive aids such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair to overcome these challenges.
• Communication changes that typically affect how a person interacts with others. A person may have difficulty speaking, challenges with writing, reading or diagnosis of speech disorders such as Aphasia, Apraxia, Dysarthria.
• Emotional changes are typically the result of a direct effect of a brain injury or the indirect effects of a brain injury. A person with direct effect may suffer damage to the area of the brain that controls mood or have an imbalance in neurotransmitters. A person with indirect effect may struggle with emotions as they adjust to their life after brain injury. Depression and anxiety are the most common emotional changes experienced by ABI survivors.
• Behavioural changes are very common for people with a moderate or severe brain injury. Behavioural changes often occur soon after the ABI and can change overtime.
• Functional changes impact a person’s day to day as the changes after a brain injury are multi-faceted. Some example of changes include: driving, work, school, self-care, cooking, access to community.