COURSE PROCESS

The course is presented in five modules. Each module can be taken one at a time or in a single caregiver training. The training also includes a videos with TBI survivors and their caregivers sharing their experiences with you. These stories help to reinforce key information from the modules and highlight strategies for working with TBI. Watch the video at the end of each module. The video directs you back to the manual to read the next module at the end of each segment.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

MODULE 1 – OVERVIEW OF TBI

• How traumatic brain injury (TBI) is different from other kinds of brain disease.
• Why there is growing recognition of TBI as a major problem in our communities.
• Factors that affect recovery and why there is new hope for survivors of TBI and their families.

MODULE 2 – THE BRAIN: BEFORE AND AFTER A TBI

• The major parts and functions of the brain and why no two people with a brain injury are the same.
• How a brain injury to each part of the brain may affect a person.
• Strategies for dealing with the changes that may be a result of a brain injury.

MODULE 3 – PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE CHANGES AND TBI: HOW TO HELP

• Physical changes that may result from a brain injury, including motor skills, communication, the senses, pain, seizures, and sleep.
• Cognitive changes that may result from a brain injury, including memory, processing information, attention and concentration, reasoning, planning, and initiating actions.
• Specific ways to help with common physical, sensory, and thinking problems that may occur with TBI.
• How to help and tips on caregiving.

MODULE 4 – CHALLENGES IN CAREGIVING: EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGES AND TBI

• Emotional and behavioral changes that may be a result of TBI.
• The A-B-C technique for helping with challenging behavior.
• When it’s more than the TBI, including conditions before and following the TBI.
• How to help and tips that address strategies for dealing with challenging behaviors that supports the person’s strengths.

MODULE 5 – SUPPORTING RECOVERY

• Four general guidelines that support any adult who is recovering from a TBI.
• Strategies that help to create a supportive, safe environment.
• Tips that apply to caregiving, managing stress, and making health a priority for both the adult with a TBI and the caregiver.

This training also addresses caregiver issues that may affect both you as the caregiver and the person who has a TBI. It is important for you to monitor how you are doing as a caregiver, to identify stress, and to recognize when support will help you to stay healthy and be a successful caregiver.