Glossary
Acute Rehabilitation Program – Primary emphasis is on the
early phase of rehabilitation which usually begins as soon as
the patient is medically stable. The program is designed to be
comprehensive and based in a medical facility with a typical
length of stay of 1-3 months. Treatment is provided by an
identifiable team in a designated unit.
Anemic Anoxia – Brain injury from blood that does not carry
enough oxygen to the brain.
Anoxic Brain Injury – Anoxic brain injury occurs when the
brain does not receive any oxygen and can result in a heart attack/
cardiac arrest.
Anoxic Anoxia – Brain injury from no oxygen supplied to the
brain.
Case Manager – Facilitating the access of a patient to appropriate
medical, rehabilitation and support programs, and coordination
of the delivery of services. This role may involve liaison with
various professionals and agencies, advocacy on behalf of
the patient, and arranging for purchase of services where no
appropriate programs are available.
Cognitive Impairment – Difficulty with one or more of the basic
functions of the brain: perception, memory, attentional abilities,
and reasoning skills.
Cognitive Rehabilitation – Therapy programs which aid persons
in the management of specific problems in perception, memory,
thinking and problem solving. Skills are practiced and strategies
are taught to help improve function and/or compensate for
remaining deficits. The interventions are based on an assessment
and understanding of the person’s brain-behavior deficits and
services are provided by qualified practitioners.
Coma – A state of unconsciousness from which the patient
cannot be awakened or aroused, even by powerful stimulation;
lack of any response to one’s environment. Defined clinically as
an inability to follow a one-step command consistently; Glasgow
Coma Scale score of eight or less.
Coping Skills – The ability to deal with problems and difficulties
by attempting to overcome them or accept them.
CT Scan/Computerized Axial Tomography – A series of
X-rays taken at different levels of the brain that allows the direct
visualization of the skull and intracranial structures. A scan
is often taken soon after the injury to help decide if surgery is
needed. The scan may be repeated later to see how the brain is
recovering.
Cue – A signal or direction used to assist a person in performing
an activity (telling a person the initial of your first name serves as
a cue when he or she cannot remember your name.)
Decubitus – Pressure area, bed sore, skin opening, skin
breakdown. A discolored or open area of skin damage caused by
pressure. Common areas most prone to breakdown are buttocks
or backside, hips, shoulder blades, heels, ankles and elbows.
Developmental Disability – Any mental and/or physical
disability that has an onset before age 22 and may continue
indefinitely. It can limit major life activities. Term includes
individuals with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism,
epilepsy (and other seizure disorders), sensory impairments,
congenital disabilities, traumatic accidents, or conditions caused
by disease (e.g., polio, muscular dystrophy).
Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) – A shearing injury of large nerve
fibers (axons covered with myelin) in many areas of the brain. It
appears to be one of the two primary lesions of brain injury, the
other being stretching or shearing of blood vessels from the same
forces, producing hemorrhage.
Diffuse Brain Injury – Injury to cells in many areas of the brain
rather than in one specific location (i.e. anoxia)
Diplegia – Paralysis of corresponding parts on both sides of the
body, such as both arms.
Diplopia – Seeing two images of a single object; double vision.
Extended Care Facility-Basic – Residential facility which
supplies 24-hour nursing care and supervision and assistance with
activities of daily life.
Extended Care Facility-Skilled – A residential facility for the
patient who requires 24-hour nursing care (IV, intramuscular
injections, special feeding tubes, oxygen) and rehabilitation
therapy, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, or
speech therapy on a less intensive basis than as an inpatient in a
comprehensive rehabilitation center. An extended care facility can
be a short-term alternative (a few months) prior to placement at
home (with outpatient therapy) or in a nursing home.
Frontal Lobe – Front part of the brain; involved in planning,
organizing, problem solving, selective attention, personality and
a variety of “higher cognitive functions,” covers the executive
functions of the brain.
Gait Training – Instruction in walking, with or without
equipment; also called “ambulation training.”
GI Tube – A tube inserted through a surgical opening into the
stomach. It is used to introduce liquids, foods, or medication into
the stomach when the patient is unable to take these substances
by mouth. Also referred to as a PEG Tube.
2020-2022 BIAK Resource Journal 53