Injury to a particular part of the brain can cause a patient to have difficulty performing one or more of the skills they require for daily living activities. This means that the person will have difficulty performing that daily living activity.

Here is a list of more ways that skills required for daily living activities are often affected by traumatic brain injury:

• Memory – can have difficulty remembering appointments, names, requests, telephone numbers, messages etc

• Planning and organising – can have difficulty planning activities and getting ready “on time”

• Concentration – may be distracted and not finishing tasks

• Physical abilities – may now use a wheelchair or walking aid when out in the community. Clients may also have weakness in one or both of their arms

• Communication – may have slurred speech, decreased ability to recognise non verbal communication or communication that is inappropriate

• Energy and motivation – may fatigue quickly, and not be able to identify any tasks/activities they would like to complete

• Self monitoring – may not recognise when they have made mistakes and the need to correct them

• Anger management – may lose temper easily

• Problem solving – may have difficulty recognising different solutions to problems. Poor ability to adjust to a change in weekly program

Gabrielle has a TBI (11 mins)

Watch Gabrielle's short story.
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What would have been the impact on her skills at each stage?