Cognitive Rehabilitation
Also
known as: Neuropsychological
Rehabilitation
What
is it?
Cognitive rehabilitation, or neuropsychological
rehabilitation, is a process in which a patient
who is disabled by injury or disease works with
health service professionals to alleviate
cognitive insufficiencies.
There
are four main approaches to cognitive
rehabilitation: cognitive retraining through
exercises or stimulation; strategies derived from
cognitive neuropsychology; cognitive psychology
and behavioral psychology; strategies that combine
techniques; and holistic approaches that address
cognitive, social, and emotional aspects of brain
injury. Recent research suggests the holistic
approach may be best for people with
non-progressive brain damage to improve
independence, employability, and quality of life.
Who
needs this procedure?
Cognitive rehabilitation may be needed by anyone
who is disabled by injury or disease who has
non-progressive brain damage and is interested in
reducing his or her limitations and increasing
activities.
How do
I prepare for this procedure?
To
prepare for cognitive rehabilitation, the doctor
may do a one-day assessment to determine the range
of cognitive and physical difficulties. Then the
doctor may recommend the patient undergo a
detailed, two-week assessment to determine if the
patient would benefit from a full rehabilitation
program.
In
addition to a neuropsychological assessment, the
doctor and patient will formulate some of the
long-term goals the patient would like to achieve
during the program. These may include returning to
work, relearning how to drive, improving speech,
etc.
How is
this procedure performed?
Cognitive rehabilitation may take place in a
special center and address the cognitive,
emotional, social, and behavioral aspects of brain
injury. Treatment may include both group and
individual psychological support to deal with
issues such as changes in family status and work
relationships.
Goal-setting exercises may also take place, where
the patient and doctor work together to set
reasonable long-term and short-term goals,
describe the patient’s behavior when the goal is
reached, set a deadline and spell out the method
so that other patients may benefit.
What
can I expect after the procedure?
Since
the goals of cognitive rehabilitation are targeted
to the individual needs of each patient and their
families, outcome measures such as return to work
or independent living can cause problems when used
to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.
Employment of the patient is subject to economic
factors beyond the control of the patient, and
many independent living scales are not clear at
distinguishing between those families who were
only just coping with their brain-injured
relatives before rehabilitation and those who were
considering long-term care yet and, after
rehabilitation, are coping more successfully.
While
neuropsychological tests are important in
identifying cognitive strengths and weaknesses and
that these should be taken into account when
planning rehabilitation programs, the goal of
cognitive rehabilitation is not to improve
standardized cognitive test scores.
Self-care tips
Patients undergoing cognitive rehabilitation
utilizing goal planning can expect a program that
focuses on practical, everyday problems tailored
to the needs of individuals, includes a measure of
outcome; and avoids the artificial distinction
between some outcome measures and real-life
functioning.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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