Brain Injury Program

Brain Injury Center of Excellence

The Brain Injury Program at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital offers a comprehensive continuum of care to assist individuals with an acquired brain injury to achieve their highest level of independent functioning the home, community, academic and employment settings.

This continuum of care includes coma recovery services, inpatient brain injury rehabilitation, outpatient neurological center (consisting of outpatient neurological services and day rehabilitation services), driver training and work hardening.

Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital has been treating individuals with acquired brain injuries for decades. The facility established a formalized inpatient brain injury program in 1982 and was the first Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)-accredited program in New York State.

The ultimate goal of both in- and outpatient programs is to enable the patient to resume life at home, in the community at school or in a vocation.

The brain injury services staff recognizes that both the rate and degree of recovery may differ for each patient. Common effects of an acquired brain injury may include impaired neuromuscular function, language deficits, visual/perceptual impairments, deficits in cognitive foundation and executive skills, as well as emotional/personality and behavioral changes.

The brain injury services staff develops an individualized treatment plan for each patient, reflecting evaluation findings and patient/family goals for each person.

Family teaching is a critical component of the program. Family members are requested to participate in teaching opportunities (such as family conferences, family education group, family teaching days, etc.) to learn how to assist the patient in ways that will maximize their success in performing everyday activities.

The coma recovery services program was developed to serve individuals who are minimally responsive following their brain injury. The challenge for program staff is to detect small changes in the patient’s clinical status that may indicate a purposeful response to stimuli and eventual emergence from coma.

Patients are weaned (as medically appropriate) from “cognitively dulling” medications. Other specific medications may be introduced in an attempt to maximize brain responses. Patients receive structured exposure to stimuli during all therapy and nursing contacts.

The program strives to minimize the physical complications that oftentimes occur secondary to immobility and to maximize the return of neuromuscular function. Staff assesses seating/positioning needs and monitors these on an ongoing basis to provide the patient the opportunity for optimum interaction with his/her environment.

The treatment protocol focuses on differentiating patient responses that are reflexive or coincidental from those that are indicative or higher brain processing function. As responses to specific stimuli become more frequent and consistent, the goal is to channel these volitional (willing) responses into a purposeful “event” or activity (such as simple grooming tasks, pre-feeding skills, establishing a reliable basic communication system, etc.).

As the patient continues to “awaken from his/her coma” by showing consistent, purposeful responses to stimuli, he or she will be transitioned to the inpatient brain injury program.

Over the past five years, approximately 55 percent of the patients who entered the coma recovery services program progressed to a level where they were able to return home.

Sunnyview developed the inpatient brain injury rehabilitation program for individuals with moderate-to-several acquired brain injuries who require hospitalization. Patient programs consist of participation in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

All patients also receive a complete neuropsychological assessment, as well as social work and recreational therapy services at a level according to their need and ability to participate. Full medical coverage (physiatry and internal medicine) is provided, as is intensive rehabilitation nursing care.

The team focuses on training with compensatory strategies to assist the patient in maximizing self-care, communication, mobility, home management and community living skills. Patients participate in individual and group therapy session, as well as in-hospital-based and community-based activities.

The primary goal of the inpatient brain injury rehabilitation program is to assist the patient in returning home at his or her maximum level of independence. Approximately 74.2 percent of patients admitted to the inpatient brain injury rehabilitation program in 2005 returned to a community setting upon discharge from the program.

A brain injury may result in problems with movement, communication, the ability to perceive visually, memory and higher-level thinking and reasoning skills. Emotional and personality changes that the injury may cause may interfere with the patient’s ability to successfully interact with others. Family members may also have difficulty in dealing with changes that result from a traumatic brain injury.

Upon admission, each patient is assigned to the specialty unit staffed by rehabilitation nurses specifically trained in brain injury rehabilitation. This unit provides a safe, structured environment designed specifically for patients with brain injuries.

Sunnyview’s Brain Injury Center of Excellence has 24-hour medical coverage available in the event that a patient’s medical status changes. Sunnyview’s experienced brain injury clinical team consists of:

Board-certified physiatrists (that is, physicians who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation)
Physical therapists
Occupational therapists
Psychologists
Neuropsychologists
Social workers
Speech and language pathologists
Recreation therapists
Driving educators
Special educators
Discharge planners
Alternate care advisors
Insurance specialists

How the program works

When a person suffers from an accident or illness that leads to a traumatic brain injury, his or her family is often under great stress. Sunnyview strives to create an atmosphere of openness and support for both the patient and members of the family.

During the initial stages of admission, all patients participate in a comprehensive interdisciplinary evaluation. Sunnyview professionals establish a treatment plan by incorporating the goals of the patient, the family and the team. Sunnyview staff members evaluate the patient’s condition on an ongoing basis, and make modifications as the patient progresses through the therapeutic process.

A typical inpatient program may include:

Physical training/walking
Self-care training
Cognitive training with an emphasis on learning strategies to compensate for loss of memory or ability to think
Social communication skills
Family and patient support
Training in community living skills
Driving assessment
Educational programs

The program encourages maximum family involvement, and the patient’s family is invited to regularly participate in therapy sessions and to attend weekly family education/support groups. Additionally, Sunnyview offers monthly family conferences. Families are also encouraged to learn the patient’s care needs and routine to prepare for taking him or her outside of the hospital for therapeutic journeys into the community.

Staff of Sunnyview’s inpatient brain injury unit can also make arrangements for family members to “room in” with a patient. Comfortable chairs that convert into sleeping beds are available in each room. However, only one person at a time is allowed to stay overnight.

Outpatient Neurological Center
518-382-4569

Rehabilitation for the brain-injured patient is likely to extend beyond the inpatient phase. Patients often find Sunnyview’s outpatient services to be valuable in continuing to address physical, cognitive, linguistic, emotional and behavioral needs. Sunnyview’s Outpatient Neurological Center meets these therapeutic requirements.

The programs assist the patient and family as they strive to resume activities as they would at home, in the community, at school or at work. Each person’s brain injury is as unique as his or her own personal lifestyle. Staff of the Outpatient Neurological Center assesses the individual and establishes a treatment plan that best suits the patient’s needs.

To augment a person’s strengths, maximize community and vocational potential, and provide compensatory training, a patient may receive up to five days a week of group and individual sessions.

Group treatments may include:

Community living skills
Interpersonal communication
Decision-making/problem-solving
Education about the consequences of brain injury
Computer-assisted cognitive retraining
Leisure/recreation
Client support

The interdisciplinary team continues to encourage a high degree of family involvement. An ongoing educational program and regular family conferences are available so that family members can further understand the ongoing rehabilitation process and the role that they play in their family member’s recovery.

Click here to see May 7 article from Schenectady Gazette on sports concussion (used by permission)


	Brain Injury Center of Excellence The Brain Injury Program at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital offers a comprehensive continuum of care to assist individuals with an acquired brain injury to achieve their highest level of independent functioning the home, community, academic and employment settings. This continuum of care includes coma recovery services, inpatient brain injury rehabilitation, outpatient neurological center (consisting of outpatient neurological services and day rehabilitation services), driver training and work hardening. Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital has been treating individuals with acquired brain injuries for decades. The facility established a formalized inpatient brain injury program in 1982 and was the first Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)-accredited program in New York State. The ultimate goal of both in- and outpatient programs is to enable the patient to resume life at home, in the community at school or in a vocation. The brain injury services staff recognizes that both the rate and degree of recovery may differ for each patient. Common effects of an acquired brain injury may include impaired neuromuscular function, language deficits, visual/perceptual impairments, deficits in cognitive foundation and executive skills, as well as emotional/personality and behavioral changes. The brain injury services staff develops an individualized treatment plan for each patient, reflecting evaluation findings and patient/family goals for each person. Family teaching is a critical component of the program. Family members are requested to participate in teaching opportunities (such as family conferences, family education group, family teaching days, etc.) to learn how to assist the patient in ways that will maximize their success in performing everyday activities. The coma recovery services program was developed to serve individuals who are minimally responsive following their brain injury. The challenge for program staff is to detect small changes in the patient’s clinical status that may indicate a purposeful response to stimuli and eventual emergence from coma. Patients are weaned (as medically appropriate) from “cognitively dulling” medications. Other specific medications may be introduced in an attempt to maximize brain responses. Patients receive structured exposure to stimuli during all therapy and nursing contacts. The program strives to minimize the physical complications that oftentimes occur secondary to immobility and to maximize the return of neuromuscular function. Staff assesses seating/positioning needs and monitors these on an ongoing basis to provide the patient the opportunity for optimum interaction with his/her environment. The treatment protocol focuses on differentiating patient responses that are reflexive or coincidental from those that are indicative or higher brain processing function. As responses to specific stimuli become more frequent and consistent, the goal is to channel these volitional (willing) responses into a purposeful “event” or activity (such as simple grooming tasks, pre-feeding skills, establishing a reliable basic communication system, etc.). As the patient continues to “awaken from his/her coma” by showing consistent, purposeful responses to stimuli, he or she will be transitioned to the inpatient brain injury program. Over the past five years, approximately 55 percent of the patients who entered the coma recovery services program progressed to a level where they were able to return home. Sunnyview developed the inpatient brain injury rehabilitation program for individuals with moderate-to-several acquired brain injuries who require hospitalization. Patient programs consist of participation in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. All patients also receive a complete neuropsychological assessment, as well as social work and recreational therapy services at a level according to their need and ability to participate. Full medical coverage (physiatry and internal medicine) is provided, as is intensive rehabilitation nursing care. The team focuses on training with compensatory strategies to assist the patient in maximizing self-care, communication, mobility, home management and community living skills. Patients participate in individual and group therapy session, as well as in-hospital-based and community-based activities. The primary goal of the inpatient brain injury rehabilitation program is to assist the patient in returning home at his or her maximum level of independence. Approximately 74.2 percent of patients admitted to the inpatient brain injury rehabilitation program in 2005 returned to a community setting upon discharge from the program. A brain injury may result in problems with movement, communication, the ability to perceive visually, memory and higher-level thinking and reasoning skills. Emotional and personality changes that the injury may cause may interfere with the patient’s ability to successfully interact with others. Family members may also have difficulty in dealing with changes that result from a traumatic brain injury. Upon admission, each patient is assigned to the specialty unit staffed by rehabilitation nurses specifically trained in brain injury rehabilitation. This unit provides a safe, structured environment designed specifically for patients with brain injuries. Sunnyview’s Brain Injury Center of Excellence has 24-hour medical coverage available in the event that a patient’s medical status changes. Sunnyview’s experienced brain injury clinical team consists of: Board-certified physiatrists (that is, physicians who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation) Physical therapists Occupational therapists Psychologists Neuropsychologists Social workers Speech and language pathologists Recreation therapists Driving educators Special educators Discharge planners Alternate care advisors Insurance specialists How the program works When a person suffers from an accident or illness that leads to a traumatic brain injury, his or her family is often under great stress. Sunnyview strives to create an atmosphere of openness and support for both the patient and members of the family. During the initial stages of admission, all patients participate in a comprehensive interdisciplinary evaluation. Sunnyview professionals establish a treatment plan by incorporating the goals of the patient, the family and the team. Sunnyview staff members evaluate the patient’s condition on an ongoing basis, and make modifications as the patient progresses through the therapeutic process. A typical inpatient program may include: Physical training/walking Self-care training Cognitive training with an emphasis on learning strategies to compensate for loss of memory or ability to think Social communication skills Family and patient support Training in community living skills Driving assessment Educational programs The program encourages maximum family involvement, and the patient’s family is invited to regularly participate in therapy sessions and to attend weekly family education/support groups. Additionally, Sunnyview offers monthly family conferences. Families are also encouraged to learn the patient’s care needs and routine to prepare for taking him or her outside of the hospital for therapeutic journeys into the community. Staff of Sunnyview’s inpatient brain injury unit can also make arrangements for family members to “room in” with a patient. Comfortable chairs that convert into sleeping beds are available in each room. However, only one person at a time is allowed to stay overnight. Related links: TBI Guide TBI Resource Guide TBI Rehabiliation Model Systems TBI Resource Guide National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Brain Injury Association MossRehab ResourceNet North American Brain Injury Society Outpatient Neurological Center 518-382-4569 Rehabilitation for the brain-injured patient is likely to extend beyond the inpatient phase. Patients often find Sunnyview’s outpatient services to be valuable in continuing to address physical, cognitive, linguistic, emotional and behavioral needs. Sunnyview’s Outpatient Neurological Center meets these therapeutic requirements. The programs assist the patient and family as they strive to resume activities as they would at home, in the community, at school or at work. Each person’s brain injury is as unique as his or her own personal lifestyle. Staff of the Outpatient Neurological Center assesses the individual and establishes a treatment plan that best suits the patient’s needs. To augment a person’s strengths, maximize community and vocational potential, and provide compensatory training, a patient may receive up to five days a week of group and individual sessions. Group treatments may include: Community living skills Interpersonal communication Decision-making/problem-solving Education about the consequences of brain injury Computer-assisted cognitive retraining Leisure/recreation Client support The interdisciplinary team continues to encourage a high degree of family involvement. An ongoing educational program and regular family conferences are available so that family members can further understand the ongoing rehabilitation process and the role that they play in their family member’s recovery. Click here to see May 7 article from Schenectady Gazette on sports concussion (used by permission)
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Brain Injury Center of Excellence

How the program works

Related links:

Outpatient Neurological Center 518-382-4569

Outpatient Neurological Center
518-382-4569