Increasing community participation after brain injury: strategies for identifying and reducing the risks

This article describes the complex processes involved in evaluating safety, judgment, and risk after brain injury. Starting with a review of common risk factors after onset, the article then moves to a discussion of the dilemmas faced by family members and clinicians alike when determining the individual's level of risk. Numerous suggestions are offered to identify support system concerns and to establish specific barriers to independence. The need to adopt a systematized approach to empirically verifying concerns about safety is emphasized, in addition to utilizing therapeutic interventions that are sensitive to the individual's learning capacity, psychological status, and environmental influences. The article concludes with examples of how to structure support for individuals who present with ongoing risk factors but still need to experience greater levels of personal freedom.