At the Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute (NRI) at Brookhaven Hospital, we understand that individuals with a moderate to severe brain injury will have needs that evolve over time. For individuals with a brain injury, the normal effects of growing older are often accelerated. When adults are aging with a brain injury, issues like early onset dementia, fatigue, memory-loss and other neurological problems can compound the original effects of their traumatic brain injury. This can cause frustration for the individual with a brain injury and strain on their caregivers.

That’s why we’ve created the Lifespan Alternative, a unique residential program for adults aging with a brain injury. For more than 20 years, our trained technicians have been providing neurological rehabilitation, behavioral therapy and counseling services to individuals with moderate to severe brain injuries. Our treatments provide supportive neurological care designed to help our patients maintain certain skill sets and support cognitive health.

The Lifespan Alternative provides expert neurological care in a compassionate environment so that adults with traumatic brain injuries can experience maximum dignity and independence as they grow older.

Brain Injury Services
Our services focus on helping individuals to maintain maximum dignity and independence as they grow older.

Aging With a Brain Injury
Brain injuries can accelerate the affects of aging. Neurological care can improve quality of life.

Neurologic Rehabilitation
Our trained experts focus on providing you with cutting-edge neurologic rehabilitation treatments.

Brain Injury Rehabilitation
The Lifespan program at Brookhaven focuses on providing long-term care and life planning.

Caregivers and Mental Health Problems
Treating individuals with mental health problems can have a serious effect on caregivers.

Moderate to Severe Brain Injury
Our treatment plan can often help individuals with moderate to severe brain injuries live long and meaningful lives.

Long-term Disability Assistance
A comprehensive program to address the long-term needs of a person living with a brain injury disability

Behavioral Problems and Depression
Lifespan can help treat adults with brain injuries' behavioral health problems as they grow older.

Comprehensive Professional Rehabilitation for Brain Injury
Lifespan supports and maintains rehabilitation gains over the years when rehabilitation is over.

Mental Health Problems: Impact on the Caregiver

Mental Health CaregiverCaregivers can become “the hidden victims” of brain injury and its long-term disabling conditions.  According to the report issued by Rosalyn Carter Institute, family members were reporting “mental distress and poor health” 46% more frequently than non-caregivers. Families participating in the study ranked their priorities as:

  • needing information – 36%
  • finding time for themselves – 35%
  • managing challenging behaviors – 31%
  • needing activities to do with their family member – 27%

In other studies, it was shown that behavioral, social, cognitive and emotional problems had a greater effect on families than physical needs. The duration of a disability was found to be a strong predictor of mental health problems among caregivers. In general, the studies uniformly point to stresses associated with the high care needs of their loved one, altered family function, decreased social activity outside of the home and concerns with “burnout”.

Contact Brookhaven Hospital today at 888-298-4673 to learn more about how the Lifespan Alternative can help.