Acquired Brain Injury
Acquired brain injury is a condition which can result from infection, trauma, cardiovascular events or other factors which are not congenital, hereditary or degenerative in nature (Kamalakannan et al, 2015). These factors often lead to brain damage, presenting various neurological and physical deficits. Neurological deficits such as temporary memory loss, cognitive delays and other cognitive disturbances including problem solving ability are often seen due to disturbances in normal neural connections or neurotransmitter function (Madison, Robinson & Chadaram, 2007). Co-morbid factors such as speech and cognition deficits as well as upper limb motor impairment mean that the client’s quality of life decreases …show more content…
It appears to be these multimodal dimensions that are so effective in aiding the relearning of memory, cognition and motor processes by increasing neurotransmitter activity and reforming neuromuscular junctions (Levin, Weiss & Keshner, 2014 & Madison, Robinson & Chadaram, 2007). Constant referral of feedback during the intervention allows the client to reassess their movements without interruption to the activity. This allows the client to utilise their own judgement and be an integral part of their own therapy which is often important to the individual. Construction of virtual programs or environments may be effective in providing a meaningful experience to the client and therefore improving the clients rehabilitation outcomes. Virtual reality is also a therapy that may provide more interest to the client than the more traditional therapies currently used in inpatient and community settings, leading to increased client engagement with the rehabilitation program. With further development of virtual reality therapy and virtual environments it may be possible to optimise rehabilitation of motor processes. This may enhance motivation, cognition, movement and sensory feedback by altering the environment relative to the client’s needs and