What can we do about long-term sequelae of traumatic brain injury?

It is wrong to think that the needs of persons with brain injury are met or complete in the first few months--or even the first few years--after injury. Some persons with TBI may recover in the acute and out-patient care setting sufficiently to return to home, school, or job, but there is a large group who can greatly benefit from extended care. Extended care can take the form of day activity programs, or respite care for caregivers and injured persons, or supported employment, or home-based services, or long-term residential care. The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities has recently established standards of care for "assisted living" to provide guidelines for agencies providing long-term care for persons with various disabilities, including TBI. It is my strong opinion that private and government-based providers must work hand-in-hand to develop and maintain quality, long-term living options for persons with TBI. Such a collaboration, if sustained, would almost certainly give persons with brain injury and their families a much better chance of returning to pre-injury lifestyle or other preferred options.