Art Therapy Important Aid for TBI Treatment

May 02, 2016, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Finding the right physical therapy when recovering from stroke or TBI is extremely important. The therapy must be of some interest to the patient in order to be motivating for them. If they like it they will work longer and harder than if they don’t, and they will tend to become less frustrated as they see the results of their efforts.

Some people are thriving on art therapy - feeding their love for creativity and fostering fine motor skills. Many people with TBI following strokes or accidents become withdrawn finding they cannot ‘keep up’ with others. Art allows these people to be in social settings that are quieter but still interactive, and the results of their work motivates them to continue. The process allows them to build confidence which is key to recovery.

This is another in the increasing list of non-traditional therapy which is being used to help patients on the road to recovery from brain injury. Any patients seem to turn a corner when they try a new therapy. Art therapy, painting, singing, playing piano, can be low stress cognitive and physical therapy that allow patients to thrive at activities they used to enjoy before their injury debilitated them. It also simply brings joy into their lives.

Art therapy can also encourage people to learn how to overcome their deficits. For example people with a visual deficit can learn to scan their own drawings to see what parts of the paper are blank 0 what they are missing. This translates into building confidence and coping abilities to live their lives more fully. They can learn to turn their plates to see what food they have missed for example.

I will continue to explore different therapies as I read and hear about them. Hopefully those of you with a loved one who has been hurt in car accident or slip and fall and has a brain injury can find one that helps them.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

The opinions expressed here, while intended to provide useful information, should not be interpreted as legal recommendations or advice.