Be an Expert Problem Solver: Caregiving and Coping with TBI

TBI is known as the signature wound of war during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The number of those wounded with TBI and accompanying complications has necessitated major changes in the ways in which the Department of Defense and the Veterans Affairs treats these injuries. Although family caregivers are to receive education about TBI as early as possible, many families find they need additional and ongoing support.

Living with TBI can present many difficulties for families, as concomitants can include problems with regulating negative moods, displays of aggressive behavior, memory loss, and physical symptoms such as recurrent headaches and fatigue. Family members are often at a loss in their attempts to understand these behaviors and assist their loved one in day-to-day routines and during times of stress.

In this presentation, Dr. Elliott will review basic information about TBI, its complications and issues family members face living with TBI. The presentation will provide information about coping and specific problem-solving strategies that have been useful to other caregivers living with TBI. Service providers will also benefit from learning the utility of problem-solving strategies, and how to help family caregivers learn these approaches.

Presenter

Timothy R. Elliott, Ph.D., ABPP
Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University

Event Materials

Watch the Recording

Presentation Slides (PDF)

Additional TBI Resources