What is Cognitive Rehabilitation?

Summary

Dr. Jennifer Sumner, a neuropsychologist at Kaizen Brain Center, discusses cognitive rehabilitation for patients with brain injuries. She compares the brain to a puzzle, with rehabilitation aimed at helping patients 'reassemble' their cognitive abilities. The center provides assessment and treatment, focusing on deficits in areas such as memory, attention, and decision-making. Patients are involved in setting short- and long-term goals. Families are given tools to assist in the process. Kaizen Brain Center aims to offer lifelong support to ensure patients don't feel lost after diagnosis, fostering a sense of security and community.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Cognitive rehabilitation helps patients restore or compensate for brain function deficits after injury.
• 🧩 The brain is seen as a puzzle, and rehabilitation aims to help patients put the pieces back together.
• 📝 Assessment at the start of treatment identifies cognitive deficits and their severity.
• 🛠️ Patients are involved in their own care by participating in cognitive rehabilitation and setting goals.
• 👨‍👩‍👦 Families are provided with tools to support patients and track their progress.
• 💡 Rehabilitation focuses on areas such as attention, memory, decision-making, and judgment.
• 🔄 The approach can include restoring previous functioning or teaching compensatory strategies, often a combination of both.
• 📈 Progress is measured through daily activities and weekly sessions with short-term and long-term goals.
• 👥 Kaizen Brain Center supports patients not only during treatment but also long-term, ensuring they aren’t left without guidance.
• 🏥 Patients are given a stable and secure medical resource, offering ongoing support even years after diagnosis.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of Dr. Jennifer Sumner's work?

Dr. Jennifer Sumner focuses on cognitive rehabilitation, helping patients recover from brain injuries by guiding them in restoring cognitive functions like attention, memory, and decision-making.

What analogy does Dr. Sumner use to describe brain injuries?

Dr. Sumner compares brain injuries to a puzzle, where pieces may be taken out, put back incorrectly, or placed in the wrong way, and it's her job to help patients restore the puzzle correctly.

How does cognitive rehabilitation help patients according to the video?

Cognitive rehabilitation helps patients regain control over their care, offering a way to improve cognitive functions and providing families with tools to support the patient. It focuses on both restoring function and teaching compensatory strategies.

What are the two main approaches to cognitive rehabilitation described by Dr. Sumner?

The two main approaches are: restoring previous levels of cognitive functioning and teaching compensatory strategies to work around any persistent deficits.

What role does assessment play in cognitive rehabilitation at the Kaizen Brain Center?

Assessment plays a crucial role in identifying the cognitive deficits a patient has and determining their severity, which helps in developing a tailored treatment plan.

What is the importance of setting short-term and long-term goals in cognitive rehabilitation?

Setting short-term and long-term goals helps patients track progress, maintain motivation, and achieve the best possible outcomes in their rehabilitation journey.

What are some of the cognitive impairments that Dr. Sumner works to rehabilitate?

Dr. Sumner rehabilitates impairments such as attention, memory, decision-making, judgment, and overall cognitive thinking skills.

Why do patients and families often feel helpless after a diagnosis, and how does cognitive rehabilitation address this?

Patients and families often feel helpless because they don't know what to do after receiving a diagnosis. Cognitive rehabilitation offers a structured way to take control, giving patients a clear plan and tools to work towards improvement.

What long-term support does the Kaizen Brain Center offer to patients after treatment?

The Kaizen Brain Center offers long-term support by staying connected with patients, providing them and their families with a stable resource for questions and follow-up care, even years after treatment.

What unique value does the Kaizen Brain Center provide to its patients, according to Dr. Sumner?

The Kaizen Brain Center provides a personalized and continuous support system for patients, ensuring they don't feel abandoned after initial treatments and have a consistent place to seek guidance throughout their recovery.