What are some exercises/games/etc that can help with brain trauma?
November 13, 2014 1:08 PM Subscribe
About a year ago, my father was in an accident and suffered significant brain trauma. Since then, he has made great physical progress, but his mental progress seems stagnant. His memories are intact, thank god, but what he has trouble with is focusing/concentrating on things. I’m looking for suggestions on exercises he can do on a computer/iPad or in his regular life that can help with his healing and growth. I would also love to hear anecdotes from people who themselves have suffered significant brain trauma and what they have done to help themselves heal.
You can read my previous questions from last October/November to get some of the background, but in a nutshell, last October my father fell 30 feet out of a tree and suffered broken bones and head trauma. He was in the hospital on and off for two months with additional brain bleeding. He has been home since December, and by all reports, is out of danger.
My father is 69 years old and was in amazing shape before the accident. Since then, physically, he has healed to a miraculous degree. We are confident that he will make, if not a full physical recovery, very close to it. My concern is his mental recovery. Before the accident, my father was an intelligent, outgoing, extremely verbose and witty man. Now… this is hard to explain…. his personality is MOSTLY the same, but his abilities are much changed. If a stranger were to meet him and talk to him, they’d think he was a totally normal man. But people who know him well see the difference. For example, I used to speak with him about everything, but now if I try to talk to him about something complicated, he loses interest or has difficulty following. Projects that before would take him a few minutes to figure out (like how to do a home repair) will now take him all afternoon. If he watches movies or reads books, he only wants the most simple, non-challenging ones. It breaks my heart to type these words because my father is a brilliant man and I don’t know how to help him.
I know he needs to see a therapist or something of that ilk, but he will not. Please don’t suggest any kind of professional help because I’m telling you right now, he won’t do it. My family is super old school and would NEVER see a therapist or attend a help group or anything like that. I would, of course, and my sisters/cousins would, but no relatives in my parents’ generation would. Trust me, there is nothing I could say or do to get him to see some kind of specialist. It is 100% not happening. So whatever exercises/treatment he gets is going to have to come from me.
Here is what I’ve had him do in the past year that seems to have helped. I make him write in a journal every day, which has been amazing. My father was NEVER a writer of any sort, and now he has filled two entire composition books and you can really see his progress over time. I have him work on jigsaw puzzles, which he loves. I got him an iPad and loaded it with a few mental exercise games like Lumosity and BrainFit. He did them for a few months and then grew bored of them. I researched exercises that help with eye control and balance that you do while walking and I have him do those almost every day. But I’m completely untrained in this kind of thing. This is just stuff I found online.
Here is my question – what are some exercises/apps/games I could have him play on his iPad that will help “train” his brain? Right now he obsessively plays scrabble, solitaire, and this puzzle game where you slide blocks around the screen so that one red block can escape. I need stuff like that. He won’t play anything with like, an overriding story arc. I tried to get him into the Room games or the hidden picture games on Big Fish but that’s beyond him right now. ALSO, he’s colorblind, so the games can’t revolve around color. And can anyone recommend other activities he can do, like the journal writing or jigsaw puzzles, that will challenge him and help with his concentration? And last but most importantly, has anyone here experienced brain trauma and found a way to heal from it, and can give me advice or even encouraging words? I’m feeling so discouraged right now.
You can read my previous questions from last October/November to get some of the background, but in a nutshell, last October my father fell 30 feet out of a tree and suffered broken bones and head trauma. He was in the hospital on and off for two months with additional brain bleeding. He has been home since December, and by all reports, is out of danger.
My father is 69 years old and was in amazing shape before the accident. Since then, physically, he has healed to a miraculous degree. We are confident that he will make, if not a full physical recovery, very close to it. My concern is his mental recovery. Before the accident, my father was an intelligent, outgoing, extremely verbose and witty man. Now… this is hard to explain…. his personality is MOSTLY the same, but his abilities are much changed. If a stranger were to meet him and talk to him, they’d think he was a totally normal man. But people who know him well see the difference. For example, I used to speak with him about everything, but now if I try to talk to him about something complicated, he loses interest or has difficulty following. Projects that before would take him a few minutes to figure out (like how to do a home repair) will now take him all afternoon. If he watches movies or reads books, he only wants the most simple, non-challenging ones. It breaks my heart to type these words because my father is a brilliant man and I don’t know how to help him.
I know he needs to see a therapist or something of that ilk, but he will not. Please don’t suggest any kind of professional help because I’m telling you right now, he won’t do it. My family is super old school and would NEVER see a therapist or attend a help group or anything like that. I would, of course, and my sisters/cousins would, but no relatives in my parents’ generation would. Trust me, there is nothing I could say or do to get him to see some kind of specialist. It is 100% not happening. So whatever exercises/treatment he gets is going to have to come from me.
Here is what I’ve had him do in the past year that seems to have helped. I make him write in a journal every day, which has been amazing. My father was NEVER a writer of any sort, and now he has filled two entire composition books and you can really see his progress over time. I have him work on jigsaw puzzles, which he loves. I got him an iPad and loaded it with a few mental exercise games like Lumosity and BrainFit. He did them for a few months and then grew bored of them. I researched exercises that help with eye control and balance that you do while walking and I have him do those almost every day. But I’m completely untrained in this kind of thing. This is just stuff I found online.
Here is my question – what are some exercises/apps/games I could have him play on his iPad that will help “train” his brain? Right now he obsessively plays scrabble, solitaire, and this puzzle game where you slide blocks around the screen so that one red block can escape. I need stuff like that. He won’t play anything with like, an overriding story arc. I tried to get him into the Room games or the hidden picture games on Big Fish but that’s beyond him right now. ALSO, he’s colorblind, so the games can’t revolve around color. And can anyone recommend other activities he can do, like the journal writing or jigsaw puzzles, that will challenge him and help with his concentration? And last but most importantly, has anyone here experienced brain trauma and found a way to heal from it, and can give me advice or even encouraging words? I’m feeling so discouraged right now.
Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist who had a stroke. There's a TED talk here, and she also has a book called My Stoke Of Insight. I can't find my copy right now, but from memory, she mentions things like doing jigsaw puzzles and re-learning new things helping her. She specifically mentions her mother offering her two choices for what she wanted for dinner, and choosing the one that she didn't recognise (salmon, IIRC). Watch the video. You really can't tell that Bolte Taylor had a stroke.
Another person to Google is V.S. Ramachandran. He's done some pretty cool things with conditions like impostor syndrome and pain from amputated limbs.
Your father can very likely recover from this. A useful term to google is neuroplasticity. The study of the concept is still relatively new, but very promising. The brain has to be able to change and create new connections or human beings wouldn't be able to learn to do things like walk and speak.
I am not any kind of doctor, I just have an interest in this stuff, but I think the key is to apply a gentle pressure to force the brain to work. Think of a parent teaching their child to walk. At first, the child can't manage it, but over time, with repetition and practice, they learn how. Think of an adult learning to dance - same story. If he likes Scrabble, maybe have him try Boggle or a variant thereof.
One thing to keep in mind is that figuring out how to do a home repair isn't that simple, really. You have to be able to understand language, visualise the physical orientation in space of the thing that needs repairing, have the physical and visual acuity to operate the tool, use your imagination to run through the possible permutations of what to do, etc. Your brain is a conglomeration of many different systems that have to work in concert, and that's not always easy.
It will probably be difficult, but any time he gets confused or can't work something out, or follow the thread of conversation, that's a sign that you need to persevere. He'll probably get frustrated, but if he can problem solve in an app on the ipad, he can figure out how to get round the supermarket in the most efficient way. He'll need to think of himself in a physical space, rather then look at some things in a space, which is two different skills, but he can likely relearn them if he tries.
When you run up against something he can't figure out, try cutting it up into pieces and think about which part of the brain is being used. Language, for example, uses two parts of the brain. One part for understanding what is being said to you, and another part for doing the speaking in return. Looking at a task he can do versus one he can't might give you some clues as to what you can change to make it work better for him.
posted by Solomon at 1:35 PM on November 13, 2014
Another person to Google is V.S. Ramachandran. He's done some pretty cool things with conditions like impostor syndrome and pain from amputated limbs.
Your father can very likely recover from this. A useful term to google is neuroplasticity. The study of the concept is still relatively new, but very promising. The brain has to be able to change and create new connections or human beings wouldn't be able to learn to do things like walk and speak.
I am not any kind of doctor, I just have an interest in this stuff, but I think the key is to apply a gentle pressure to force the brain to work. Think of a parent teaching their child to walk. At first, the child can't manage it, but over time, with repetition and practice, they learn how. Think of an adult learning to dance - same story. If he likes Scrabble, maybe have him try Boggle or a variant thereof.
One thing to keep in mind is that figuring out how to do a home repair isn't that simple, really. You have to be able to understand language, visualise the physical orientation in space of the thing that needs repairing, have the physical and visual acuity to operate the tool, use your imagination to run through the possible permutations of what to do, etc. Your brain is a conglomeration of many different systems that have to work in concert, and that's not always easy.
It will probably be difficult, but any time he gets confused or can't work something out, or follow the thread of conversation, that's a sign that you need to persevere. He'll probably get frustrated, but if he can problem solve in an app on the ipad, he can figure out how to get round the supermarket in the most efficient way. He'll need to think of himself in a physical space, rather then look at some things in a space, which is two different skills, but he can likely relearn them if he tries.
When you run up against something he can't figure out, try cutting it up into pieces and think about which part of the brain is being used. Language, for example, uses two parts of the brain. One part for understanding what is being said to you, and another part for doing the speaking in return. Looking at a task he can do versus one he can't might give you some clues as to what you can change to make it work better for him.
posted by Solomon at 1:35 PM on November 13, 2014
I have had a TBI and have made a full recovery. My injury was not as bad as your father's but I was still months recovering.
Two points I'd make from my own recovery are: i was not always aware that I was impaired, some days realising it more than others. This can take the incentive out of trying and you then rely on others to keep gently pushing. It sounds like you are already aware of this.
Secondly, the biggest factor in getting better was being pushed and pushing myself. I was lucky to have a very tolerant workplace that let me just try and do what I used to do. That made a huge difference, so try not to quarantine your father from any activities, and even if you don't think he can do something or understand something, try anyway. I'm not sure how you get him to run with that as well if he doesn't feel like it, but it's important.
Good luck.
posted by deadwax at 3:51 PM on November 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
Two points I'd make from my own recovery are: i was not always aware that I was impaired, some days realising it more than others. This can take the incentive out of trying and you then rely on others to keep gently pushing. It sounds like you are already aware of this.
Secondly, the biggest factor in getting better was being pushed and pushing myself. I was lucky to have a very tolerant workplace that let me just try and do what I used to do. That made a huge difference, so try not to quarantine your father from any activities, and even if you don't think he can do something or understand something, try anyway. I'm not sure how you get him to run with that as well if he doesn't feel like it, but it's important.
Good luck.
posted by deadwax at 3:51 PM on November 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
Crosswords are actually very good at building associations, which is where your father sounds like he may have a deficit. The new York Times crosswords start easy on Mondays and get harder through the week to Saturday, then Sunday is a bigger Wednesday puzzle. The app is great, and had built in clues and stuff, and will perhaps ignite curiosity that will drive him to Google other things too.
posted by Dashy at 4:14 PM on November 13, 2014
posted by Dashy at 4:14 PM on November 13, 2014
The Superbetter app & website were created by a game designer Jane McGonigal after her difficult recovery from concussion. There are lots of gentle "quests" and challenges, and opportunities to win titles and badges. My mom used it while convalescing from a fall. The program encourages you to connect with your friends and family, and to set gentle goals and meet them -- sort of like a therapist who comes to your phone.
posted by apparently at 4:25 PM on November 13, 2014
posted by apparently at 4:25 PM on November 13, 2014
If I am reading your question correctly this may be an entirely semantic problem.
The kind of "therapist" one might be referred to for a brain injury is not the kind of therapy that old school, stiff upper lip types have internalized stigma around.
This may have not been a readily apparent confusion for your father's doctors. He needs rehabilitative therapy (including things like occupational or perhaps speech therapy, for example). These therapies are a part of medical recovery from a physical injury to his brain. The doctors may not have realized that the word "therapy" was a trigger for him to reject these very important services.
It needs to be cleared up immediately that the "therapy" he needs is akin to physical rehab for a knee injury. It is not related to any sort of therapy for emotional or social problems. They are vastly different fields and a resistance to one should not prevent his access to the other.
If his current cognitive issues prevent his attending to the difference, maybe use substitute words like 'tech' for 'therapist' or some strategies around the language. Talk to his doctors about the misunderstanding as soon as you can.
A serious brain injury shouldn't have to be rehabbed by family members with iPads when there are professionals who are trained to do this and are just called by the wrong titles!
posted by The Noble Goofy Elk at 5:49 PM on November 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
The kind of "therapist" one might be referred to for a brain injury is not the kind of therapy that old school, stiff upper lip types have internalized stigma around.
This may have not been a readily apparent confusion for your father's doctors. He needs rehabilitative therapy (including things like occupational or perhaps speech therapy, for example). These therapies are a part of medical recovery from a physical injury to his brain. The doctors may not have realized that the word "therapy" was a trigger for him to reject these very important services.
It needs to be cleared up immediately that the "therapy" he needs is akin to physical rehab for a knee injury. It is not related to any sort of therapy for emotional or social problems. They are vastly different fields and a resistance to one should not prevent his access to the other.
If his current cognitive issues prevent his attending to the difference, maybe use substitute words like 'tech' for 'therapist' or some strategies around the language. Talk to his doctors about the misunderstanding as soon as you can.
A serious brain injury shouldn't have to be rehabbed by family members with iPads when there are professionals who are trained to do this and are just called by the wrong titles!
posted by The Noble Goofy Elk at 5:49 PM on November 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you so much, everyone, for your input. I appreciate each answer more than I can say. This has been so hard and I feel like it has completely taken over my life.
The N.G.Elk, you are right that the word "therapist" itself makes him defensive. He is in physical therapy right now but is adamant that he is seeing a physical TRAINER, not a therapist! He did see an occupational therapist and cognitive therapist in the first few months after the accident, but they worked with him on really basic stuff like how to button his shirt, how to handle a pencil, etc. What's "wrong" or "off" with him now is subtle. It's hard to even notice unless you know him and know how talkative and creative he usually is. I feel like some of it might not even be the injury per se, but more due to him being scared/depressed about his slow progress.
I'm excited to have him try crossword puzzles and maybe a book of mazes because he always used to love those. Boggle sounds good too. I will check out the Superbetter app and all the other suggestions here. Thank you so much everyone, especially for your kind and encouraging words.
posted by silverstatue at 6:16 PM on November 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
The N.G.Elk, you are right that the word "therapist" itself makes him defensive. He is in physical therapy right now but is adamant that he is seeing a physical TRAINER, not a therapist! He did see an occupational therapist and cognitive therapist in the first few months after the accident, but they worked with him on really basic stuff like how to button his shirt, how to handle a pencil, etc. What's "wrong" or "off" with him now is subtle. It's hard to even notice unless you know him and know how talkative and creative he usually is. I feel like some of it might not even be the injury per se, but more due to him being scared/depressed about his slow progress.
I'm excited to have him try crossword puzzles and maybe a book of mazes because he always used to love those. Boggle sounds good too. I will check out the Superbetter app and all the other suggestions here. Thank you so much everyone, especially for your kind and encouraging words.
posted by silverstatue at 6:16 PM on November 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
My dad had a major bleed a few years ago with mostly frontal lobe damage. He has found a dance class helps (ballroom). I know you asked for apps but with my dad the difference is so apparent, I can tell when he hasn't been in a class...and most of his damage is to executive function. For him there is something almost magical about the combination of movement, music, learning the steps and listening to instruction.
Good luck, I hope he continues to recover.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:46 PM on November 13, 2014
Good luck, I hope he continues to recover.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:46 PM on November 13, 2014
A friend of mine had a TBI - kicked in the head by a horse. Her injury wasn't obvious at all and it's taking a long time to recover. Among other issues he has odd perceptual things, to do with balance, complexity and understanding motion for instance. Going outside and seeing traffic going in different directions was overwhelming for her. One thing that has helped was physically going outside, walking and performing simple tasks. Another was getting some type of a brain scan that mapped some of the actual damage in her brain. Sorry, I can't recall what sort of scan it was, but it proved the need for more therapy and also made her feel a bit less lost, as there was evidence something needed fixing. So warriorqueen and TNGE are spot on in their advice, I think.
posted by glasseyes at 4:38 AM on November 14, 2014
posted by glasseyes at 4:38 AM on November 14, 2014
From my experience of this with a close family member, one of the hardest things here is how different it can be from one day to the next. This is very common in TBI, to my understanding.
The scientific support for "brain training" is kind of all over the place, frankly. For example: this piece or this one.
To my mind, one thing a lot of the science seems to agree on is that if you have an interest in getting better at a particular task, the most likely way to do that is to do that task.
My family member has done really well with doing things she enjoyed doing before: crossword puzzles, crafting, a musical instrument. The advantage is that she really enjoys those things and those are the things she most wants to be able to do again. She has also enjoyed brainpop. It isn't really interactive, but she still enjoys learning new concepts, and it is in nice chunks for her attention span.
Somewhat unrelatedly, I have heard very good things about this book, as a resource for you.
posted by freezer cake at 3:45 PM on November 14, 2014
The scientific support for "brain training" is kind of all over the place, frankly. For example: this piece or this one.
To my mind, one thing a lot of the science seems to agree on is that if you have an interest in getting better at a particular task, the most likely way to do that is to do that task.
My family member has done really well with doing things she enjoyed doing before: crossword puzzles, crafting, a musical instrument. The advantage is that she really enjoys those things and those are the things she most wants to be able to do again. She has also enjoyed brainpop. It isn't really interactive, but she still enjoys learning new concepts, and it is in nice chunks for her attention span.
Somewhat unrelatedly, I have heard very good things about this book, as a resource for you.
posted by freezer cake at 3:45 PM on November 14, 2014
Let me second The Noble Goofy Elk. There are professionals out there trained to help with this type of rehabilitation and if it helps to call them elves, well, so be it.
You are doing an astounding job, and your Father is so lucky to have you on his team. You have tracked down some of the resources I was going to recommend, and have identified a few I am going to look into for myself.
I did not suffer a TBI, but I have Multiple Sclerosis; and, brain lesions are insidiously chipping away at my gray matter. In addition, a year or so ago I suffered a rather severe concussion due to a fall on a hardwood floor, and spent about 4 months in great confusion.
In the past I have had neuro-cognitive testing done which was very helpful in identifying the various ways in which I am now less capable than in former years of processing information, performing tasks which are termed "executive functioning," multi-tasking and, in particular, I have great difficulty absorbing verbal instructions. My speech has been affected, and I am less verbal even with those who know me well, although friends and physicians swear they do not hear a difference – but I know the difference and that is what matters. I am much less willing to engage in conversation. I also have minimal color blindness which is associated with my MS progression (sometimes I hit the sunlight as I walk outside and think: Good grief, who dressed me! I look like a pre-schooler who raided the closet! LOL)
Therapists (usually PhDs) administer and interpret the neuro-cognitive testing. But if your Father has not had the benefits of such testing perhaps that triggering word could be gotten around in order to help identify areas that are now causing him difficulty. And they, along with other professionals, would be able to further guide you to resources which might prove useful and rewarding.
I would encourage you not to be discouraged as your imagination and determination abounds, and surely only good can come of that.
Best wishes.
posted by alwayson_slightlyoff at 5:39 PM on November 14, 2014
You are doing an astounding job, and your Father is so lucky to have you on his team. You have tracked down some of the resources I was going to recommend, and have identified a few I am going to look into for myself.
I did not suffer a TBI, but I have Multiple Sclerosis; and, brain lesions are insidiously chipping away at my gray matter. In addition, a year or so ago I suffered a rather severe concussion due to a fall on a hardwood floor, and spent about 4 months in great confusion.
In the past I have had neuro-cognitive testing done which was very helpful in identifying the various ways in which I am now less capable than in former years of processing information, performing tasks which are termed "executive functioning," multi-tasking and, in particular, I have great difficulty absorbing verbal instructions. My speech has been affected, and I am less verbal even with those who know me well, although friends and physicians swear they do not hear a difference – but I know the difference and that is what matters. I am much less willing to engage in conversation. I also have minimal color blindness which is associated with my MS progression (sometimes I hit the sunlight as I walk outside and think: Good grief, who dressed me! I look like a pre-schooler who raided the closet! LOL)
Therapists (usually PhDs) administer and interpret the neuro-cognitive testing. But if your Father has not had the benefits of such testing perhaps that triggering word could be gotten around in order to help identify areas that are now causing him difficulty. And they, along with other professionals, would be able to further guide you to resources which might prove useful and rewarding.
I would encourage you not to be discouraged as your imagination and determination abounds, and surely only good can come of that.
Best wishes.
posted by alwayson_slightlyoff at 5:39 PM on November 14, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
My first thought was luminosity/ brain fit. Which you have tried. It sounds like you're doing a pretty good job for your knowledge.
I suggest try thinking of it in a different way. Puzzles are great, life is full of puzzles, if there are specific things he struggles with try breaking it down and thinking of it like a puzzle.
I worked with people with disabilities for a number of years. From autism, cerebral palsy, to TBI's. Often what was most helpful was that all of these variations were under one roof. Often something that worked for someone with TBI worked for someone with autism.
Sometimes you just have to stop thinking about the disorder or thing you are dealing and think of it more simply.
You obviously care, you could try consulting with a therapist or finding a support group for family members.
Do not forget to take care of yourself and find someone to talk to it helps, a lot.
posted by misformiche at 1:24 PM on November 13, 2014 [1 favorite]