Actions, Balance, and Caring for TBI Patients
Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 9:40AM 
By: Barbara Irvin
Hospitals can be tricky places to navigate, even during the least serious of times. How do you figure it out, then, when a loved one is suffering from a Traumatic Brain Injury? Barbara Irvin had to figure it out all on her own when her husband contracted such a serious brain injury that he had to have half of his skull plate removed. He wasn’t expected to make it, but luckily he did. Barbara took it upon herself to help all of those other loved ones of TBI patients by writing a book. This book, Actions, Balance, and Caring for TBI Patients, is a guide for all parts of the hospitalization and recovery process. Starting in the ER with tips from “find out when the doctors are making their rounds [and] reviewing [your loved one’s] chart,” to “if the person is a male and usually has facial hair, make sure to let the staff know” so they don’t shave him. She goes on to give information about how to navigate the rehabilitation process, about what to do when the person gets home, and about medication. Short and concise, this book offers a helpful list of things to keep track of so that the technical things don’t add to the emotional stress of a loved one suffering from a TBI.
Book review by Caroline Karalias