Goodwill’s NeuroRehabilitation Programs
Goodwill Industries of Northern New England has been operating specialized brain injury and neurologic rehabilitation programs for over 15 years. During that time, we have collected outcome data to monitor the effectiveness of our programs. Additionally, Goodwill staff has participated in over 40 professional publications and presentations documenting the effectiveness of rehabilitation after brain injury, stroke, aneurysm, or other neurologic injury.
At a time when there are questions regarding the value of healthcare services, here are key points to consider in evaluating the efficacy of rehabilitation:
The Most Common Cause of Disability in the U.S. is Brain Injury
Brain injury and neurological disorders are a silent epidemic. This has become even more apparent during the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 10 million Americans are living with disability due to stroke or brain injury. That is 3.8% of the US population. In the state of Maine, that means 46,000 people are living with disability due to a neurological injury. Each year, 1.4 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury. 795,000 people suffer a stroke. The incidence of stroke is increasing in the under 65-year-old population. Brain injury and stroke are more common than cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injuries.
Brain Injuries are Catastrophic
Sadly, brain injuries do not heal easily. The typical course of recovery for an orthopedic injury or broken bone is measured in weeks to a few months. The course of recovery for a concussion or mild brain injury may be weeks to months. However, more severe brain injuries often require months to years for substantial recovery. While physical recovery may be rapid, impairments in higher level cognitive skills, which are required for most adult behaviors and day to day functioning, are the last to recover. This creates tremendous strain within families as people adjust to role changes, medical uncertainty, and financial stressors. To complicate matters further, the emotional, cognitive, and physical ramifications of a brain injury can vary widely from person to person, even within the same classification of injury severity or type. Not only does this variability influence how we define brain injury, but also affects our ability to design research and to predict a person’s likelihood of resuming their former level of functioning.
