ST. LOUIS — Brain injury can impact the way you manage your farming operation. Damage to the brain from an accident, crash, fall, stroke, hit by object, or other event that causes injury may cause difficulties with memory and staying on task. After a brain injury, a person may get tired easily and need more breaks to rest. There may also be a change in their ability to walk or stand due to balance or vision challenges. These changes may make daily life in urban, suburban and rural communities difficult.
Possible changes associated with brain injury include:
changes in perception of hearing, smell, taste, touch, and space
emotional challenges including mood swings, anxiety, impatience, depression, and difficulty controlling emotions, could result in ongoing laughter or anger outbursts.
difficulty with problem solving, thinking, reasoning, attention, and judgment
challenges with retaining new information and difficulty retrieving long-term memory information, which affects learning and memory
weakness or paralysis of one side of the body or limb
Many survivors of brain injury experience a change in vision. Treatment may fix vision problems, improve vision or help the survivor manage a vision problem.
Fatigue is common for individuals with a moderate to severe brain injury. Individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussions, can experience fatigue. Fatigue is often at certain times of the day or after the survivor pushes him or herself physically or cognitively. Just as each brain injury is different, the level of fatigue experienced by each person varies.
Recognizing limitations in endurance, balance, and physical abilities following brain injury is important during recovery and while adjusting to new abilities. Frequent breaks for rest, use of adaptive equipment, and changes in operation methods may be helpful in managing your farm, ranch, or agricultural business. Learn more.
Resources: Brain Injury Association of Missouri Services, Missouri AgrAbility, Heroes to Hives – Missouri Chapter.
For more information, contact the Brain Injury Association of Missouri for support, education, recreation and advocacy at www.biamo.org or (800) 444-6443.