Short and long-term effects of brain injury can be blurry vision, poor balance, or constant headaches that interfere with your farming operation. It can also put you at greater risk for another injury or incident such as a fall, being struck by an object, or chronic pain. Treatment for symptoms and taking precautions can reduce your risk of secondary injuries.
Learn More at the Brain Injury Association of Missouri
The effects of brain injury may include changes in cognitive functioning, motor skills, sensation, and emotions. An individual with a brain injury may experience changes in one or more of these issues.
Conditions that put you at risk of falls are lower body weakness, vitamin D deficiency, difficulty walking, poor balance, cluttered spaces, and more. Falling once increases your chances of falling again.
About half of people with brain injury have dizziness or loss of balance at some point in their recovery. Factors that determine the severity of balance issues include the part of the brain injured, severity of the injury, other injuries along with the brain injury, and medications.
Vision may also be affected by brain injury. Treatment for vision problems following brain injury may fix the problem, improve vision, or help manage the problem.
Farmers and Ranchers who sustain a brain injury may have the opportunity to continue farming or ranching through Missouri AgrAbility. Services and partnerships provide guidance and assistance through adaptive equipment changes to farming operation, or more.
For more information, contact the Brain Injury Association of Missouri for support, education, recreation and advocacy at www.biamo.org or (800) 444-6443.