Nutrition in brain injury
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a common cause of disability amongst Australians of all ages. ABI is complex and may cause limitations on daily living. ABIs include traumatic brain injuries (TBI's), strokes, brain illness and any other kind of brain injury acquired after birth. For the purposes of this blog, I am focusing on TBI, a condition I am very passionate about, having worked in the area for over 7 years. The majority of TBIs are caused by motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). Other causes may include assault, bicycle accidents, sporting injury's, military injuries/blast injuries and falls.
Nutrition is important along all stages after a TBI. Initially you or your loved one may have spent some time in critical care/intensive care, fed by a tube followed on by time in an acute ward and then onto a rehabilitation hospital for the journey to recovery. Recovery is a challenging process and different for everyone. It depends on a lot of factors including the area of the brain affected, the extent of injury, if there are any complications and the person’s ability to adapt to changes in circumstances.
During the early stages of TBI, weight loss can occur as patients can be hypermetabolic. Metabolism may then slow down later in recovery, individuals may put on weight influenced by many factors. Sometimes individuals may have taste and smell changes opting for foods that are overly sweet or salty, others may emotionally regulate with food. You or your loved one may be fed through a tube and is starting to increase their oral intake. You want ideas to make a textured diet interesting.
As you can see nutrition issues are diverse and an individuals nutrition plan must be tailored to their needs.
Kirilee is a specialist dietitian with experience in brain injury and disability. She is a provider for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), The Lifetime Care and Support Scheme, Workers compensation/Fair Work and Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA). She is a consultant to aged care facilities and many of her clients have a history of TBI. She sees many young people living with TBI living in aged care facilities.
If you or your loved one needs a dietitian after ABI, please get in touch to achieve your nutrition goals for recovery and quality of life and getting a dietitian included in your funding package. Areas covered include Sydney and Central Coast.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics
https://www.rainbowrehab.com/pages/understanding-traumatic-brain-injury-tbi/
https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/weight-changes-after-brain-injury.aspx
http://www.royalrehab.com.au/rehab-services/brain-injury-rehabilitation/
http://www.neurosurgery.com.au/
https://www.headway.org.uk/about-brain-injury/individuals/information-library/
