Traumatic Brain Injury

 

Traumatic brain injury has been labelled the 'silent epidemic' because it often goes undiagnosed - despite being a major cause of disability in people under the age of 60.

It's now estimated that around one person in every thousand has sustained a brain injury - usually in road accidents, but also in falls, assaults or sporting accidents - and often there is a need for specialist intervention.

The vast majority of these cases involve young men. Eighty per cent of victims are male and seven out of ten are aged under 25 at the time of their accident.
 


Medical advances in recent years mean that significantly more people now survive a serious brain injury. However, the traditional model of acute hospital care still doesn't provide the extended recovery procedures necessary to help victims regain their independence.

After their physical injuries have been healed, they can suffer severe long-term cognitive, physical and psychological problems.

Without specialist vocational rehabilitation only a small percentage of people who suffer a serious brain injury will return to work and an even smaller number will sustain employment for any length of time.