What it is

I was nervous at first to start fieldwork. I didn't know what to expect, I have never worked with TBI patients before and I just wanted to do everything right. My first impression was "wow these guys are great!" Everyone was super excited to see us and of course many compliments were given as well. The house is very nice, new and seems like there is plenty of space for all their needs. The patients seemed to get along with each other, you could tell they knew each other pretty well and they were joking back and forth and encouraging each other during tasks. I lead the first group session (second time being there) and it was a little challenging for me. The task was to paint bird houses made out of cardboard boxes. I expected everyone to cooperate and pay attention the whole time, but everyone seemed to be doing their own thing. The patients did not all come to the group at the same time, so we had to continuously set the patients up with the task and help them through it. It was great once everyone got started but there were a few patients that needed more assistance than others and some needed cueing to complete the task. I love the patients attitude, it doesn't matter what they are doing they are having a great time and thinking positively. The client that I am observing is very enjoyable, he has a great sense of humor, he has been at the house for about 12 years, and he is very mobile. His TBI caused him to be blind so he does need a lot of assistance with most tasks. However, he does try his hardest to be independent and he has a great attitude. I did notice some irritability in some patients and constant reminders having to be said because the patients didn’t understand or remember what they were being told to do by the staff. Each person is so different based on their background and injury. Some patients are very talkative and expressive and some are unable to express how they feel and/or they are unable to talk. I feel the need to encourage those patients more that perhaps want to say something but they can't or it takes them a while to process what they want to say. I want the patients to have equal opportunity amongst each other, therefore if someone is not given the opportunity or the cues to speak then they will never say anything. My best advice for someone working with TBI patients that have never worked with them before is get to know each patient the best you can as an individual and a patient. This is a concept we should always use as OTAs, but especially with TBI patients I feel that it's important to know their background and relate to them in that way. Also, you may have a patient that is having difficulty with something but knowing what makes them happy, or how to cue them could help immensely when trying to do a task. I really enjoy TBI patients and I would like to keep that as an option in the future.