News Technology and Brain Injury – Friend or Foe? 2022
When a person suffers a brain injury, often family members rush to find every possible way to help in the recovery process. Technology is such a big part of life today that there are many who see technology as the wave of the future for treating brain injury deficits – and many therapists would agree with them.
According to Quora.com, there are more than 500 new apps launched every day around the world. With each new application, there is the possibility to live differently and learn something new. In the world of rehabilitation, new applications mean new ways for therapists to reach further into the world of technology to find ways to help patients suffering from brain injuries.
When looking for an app that can help with brain injury recovery, it’s important to keep a few important points in mind:
- What is the purpose of the application?
- How difficult is the app to learn?
- Is there a fee for use?
- Are there different skill levels?
It’s important to think about what the patient needs when looking for a specific app to help with brain injury recovery. For example, if the patient needs to learn to read, then an app with lots of directions is not a good choice. Finding apps with simple clues, such as focusing on filling in words or completing sentences, would be a good choice. There are many apps for adults that will also help with learning to read, which may work well for individuals who are relearning the skill after a stroke or brain injury.
Apps that have complicated instructions or steps to start the program are usually not good for someone trying to practice cognitive skills. Apps with two or three short descriptions for directions, or individual step-by-step directions that you can view while using the app, may work best.
There are thousands of free applications available for various types of smartphones and tablets. With free apps, there are still app costs that go beyond the free downloads section. It is important to read the details of the application before purchasing to ensure that it does not require a lot of money to play and participate.
The purpose of the application when used as a therapeutic tool is to help a person improve function in a specific area. Some apps offer difficulty levels, so when one area or level has been reached, there’s the next step to continuing to learn a task or practice a skill. This tiered learning is useful when the patient wants to learn just a game or two, rather than having to get through multiple apps to find increasingly difficult tasks to complete.
With any app purchase, it’s important to give it a try – free apps are always a good choice, and a way to find interesting and fun ways to achieve therapeutic goals without getting bored. Try different games, even if they don’t feel as exciting, because you may be surprised at what you can learn, and how many simple games can improve skills that have been compromised by a brain injury.
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