A victim of an acquired brain injury and a politician running for President of the United States of America both have important decisions to make every day. True, the President’s decisions affect more people. Still, as an individual, that brain injury victim is required to make decisions multiple times a day – some of which are “no brainer” decisions that many others don’t have to think twice about. The Presidential candidates rely on their cognitive abilities when making decisions, brainstorming ideas, and discussing issues raised by the public. Making decisions after brain injury requires the same approach, but the ability to sequence, remember, organize, respond and actually solve problems is missing in most cases. That’s why the use of compensatory strategies to assist with these functions is a must.
The candidates for President discuss such topics as saving the U.S. economy by creating and passing a bill worth billions of dollars, while a brain injury survivor is just trying to figure out how to make out a check properly or how to use a debit or credit card without issues. In either case, it’s a decision-making process.
After returning home from the rehab facility, I soon discovered I couldn’t avoid making decisions forever. On one occasion Larry sent me to buy groceries on my own for the first time after the brain injury. In Brain Injury Survivor's Guide, page 31, there’s more about how using a credit card may be better than writing a check in circumstances like that. Let’s just say we are thankful for the grocery clerk who told me I had written the check for the wrong amount – not in our favor!
So, the bottom line when making wise choices means being able to concentrate in order to make decisions. Everything from:
The candidates for President discuss such topics as saving the U.S. economy by creating and passing a bill worth billions of dollars, while a brain injury survivor is just trying to figure out how to make out a check properly or how to use a debit or credit card without issues. In either case, it’s a decision-making process.
After returning home from the rehab facility, I soon discovered I couldn’t avoid making decisions forever. On one occasion Larry sent me to buy groceries on my own for the first time after the brain injury. In Brain Injury Survivor's Guide, page 31, there’s more about how using a credit card may be better than writing a check in circumstances like that. Let’s just say we are thankful for the grocery clerk who told me I had written the check for the wrong amount – not in our favor!
So, the bottom line when making wise choices means being able to concentrate in order to make decisions. Everything from:
What do I do if the house catches on fire?
What do I do if I have a flat tire on the car?
What do I do if I miss the bus?
….to….
What do I do if someone asks for my social security number, credit card number, or bank account number?
Decisions, decisions, decisions …………
One thing I find helpful when making these types of decisions is having a list of all my compensatory strategies in one place – like a daily journal. It is one of the most useful tools I have found to deal with making decisions after brain injury.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment