ATTENDING PHYSICIAN
the medical doctor who is in charge of the emergency room, trauma center,
or Intensive Care Unit (I.C.U.) when you are admitted.
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN
the medical doctor in charge of your case. He will make all decisions regarding
your care and discharge.
AUDIOLOGIST
one who evaluates hearing defects and who aids in the rehabilitation of those
who have such defects.
NEUROSURGEON/NEUROLOGIST
A physician who specializes in the treatment of patients with a variety of
brain-functioning difficulties. The surgeon may perform brain or spinal cord
surgery when indicated.
OSTEOPATH
physician who specializes in the practice of medicine and uses all of the
usual forms of medical therapy and diagnosis, including drugs, surgery and
radiation, and also places great emphasis on the relationship of the organs
to the musculoskeletal system. The osteopath focuses on structural problems
and uses manipulation to correct them.
PSYCHIATRIST
a physician who specializes in the management of emotional and behavioral
problems.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
a psychologist who tests and counsels patients with mental and emotional problems.
BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGIST
a psychologist who tests and counsels patients who have maladjusted patterns
of behavior.
CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST
a psychologist with special skills who evaluates the mental functions of
the brain —including brain injury — and plans training programs to assist
the patient to return to normal functioning .
NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST
a psychologist (holds a Ph.D.) who has special skills in the area of brain
injury and how it relates to behavior.
NEUROPSYCHIATRIST
a psychiatrist (a medical doctor with special training in psychology) who
has additional skills in the area of brain injury and how it relates to behavior.
PHYSIATRIST
a doctor whose specialty is physical medicine and rehabilitation.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
a specially trained and certified person who specializes in helping people
who are limited by physical, or mental injury, and/or illness to prevent
further disability, maintain health, and return to gainful employment and
maximum independence. They carry out therapies prescribed by a medical doctor.
OTs focus on three main "performance" areas of an individual's life:
1. Self Care, 2. Leisure interests and activities, and Work and School.
Our goal is to fit the therapy to the client's stated goals and needs. The
following areas are evaluated and addressed in the treatment of the brain
injured person as appropriate: Self-care skills; cognitive/visual perceptual
re-training; sensory stimulation; splint fabrication; upper extremity gross
and fine motor activities; practical community skills, such as pre-vocational
training, money management and home visits to adapt physical environments
to specific needs
SPEECH THERAPIST
a person specialize in abnormalities of speech and language, thinking and
cognitive skills, including memory, attention, problem solving, integration
of thoughts, reading, writing, voice, and fluency. Treatment goals include
disorders affecting normal verbal communication in an effort to help them
return to normal patterns of expressing and understanding language.
SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
A professional who evaluates and treats disorders of dysphagia (swallowing
disorders), comprehension, reading, memory, orientation, oral-motor functioning,
writing and cognition which may be present following a closed head injury.
Directs, diagnoses, and conducts programs to improve communicative skills
related to speech and language problems.
PHYSICAL THERAPIST
a person who is trained and certified to help the patient to regain maximum
functioning of body movement through the use of exercise, the application
of heat or cold packs, the use of sonar waves, traction and other techniques.
VISION THERAPIST
an optometric doctor specially trained and certified to treat vision difficulties
that result from physical trauma.
VOCATIONAL THERAPIST
a person trained to help people who are disabled to determine what kind of
employment they are capable of considering.
BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
is most effective with people who are willing to put themselves in the hands
of a therapist who actively guides the process. It involves, at its best,
a willingness to follow regimens of reinforcing oneself, practicing desensitization,
and relaxation exercises. Patients who insist on remaining in control and
who can be characterized as resisting becoming disciplined have reported
less comfort and success with behavioral methods.
SOCIAL WORKER
an expert involved with the social aspects of treatment and rehabilitation.
Social workers provide a wide range of services from finding funding sources
to giving emotional support to their clients.
NURSING HOME
A residential facility for the patient who requires supervision in all activities,
including assistance with medication, meal preparation, bathing, dressing,
and moving about; the patient may also require special nursing care and/or
ongoing therapy. There are nursing homes that provide
minimal to maximum care.
EXTENDED CARE FACILITY
A residential facility (this is basically a very skilled nursing home) for
the patient who requires 24-hour nursing care (I.V.'s, intramuscular injections,
special feeding tubes, skin care, oxygen); or rehabilitative therapy, such
as physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy on a less intensive
basis than as an inpatient in a comprehensive rehabilitation center. It is
important to remember that an extended care facility is usually a short-term
alternative (2-3 months) prior to placement at home (with outpatient therapy)
or in a nursing home.
BIO-FEEDBACK THERAPIST
a person trained to provide a patient with visual and auditory information
about bodily processes and methods of controlling such processes, which are
usually thought of as involuntary and not subject to willful control. Such
processes include blood pressure, muscle tension and brain waves.
NATUROPATH
a doctor who practices a system of therapeutic treatment based on the belief
that illness can be healed by natural processes of the body aided by natural
foods, light, warmth, fresh air, massage, regular exercise and avoidance
of medication.
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