Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) can be most alarming for the elderly and signal the end of independent living (Hukkelhoven et al, 2003, Utomo et al, 2009). Much of what is currently known about recovery is based on information provided by family or clinician ratings. Recently, there has been increased interest in the patients’ perception of problems post injury (Bullinger et al, 2002, Kalpakjian et al, 2004, Pagulayan et al, 2006, Berger et al, 1999). Nevertheless, there is a significant absence of synthesized evidence on characteristics of measures of Quality of Life (QoL) following this life-changing injury and it is unclear which tools are best suited for the distinctive elder population. Without this knowledge, the full impact of clinical interventions may go undetected, clinical decision-making may be less informed and comparisons across studies difficult. View the presentation by Dr. Donna Ouchterlony and Dr. Cindy Hunt of St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, as they summarized the evidence on reliability, validity and implementation.
CFN believes that caring for older adults living with frailty is a complex, Canada-wide issue that requires multi-faceted, national strategies and solutions, and our monthly webinars are one way we bring together talented people to focus on this goal.
Dr. Donna Ouchterlony, MD, CCFP, is the Medical Director of the Head Injury Clinic at St. Michael’s Hospital, Canada’s largest head injury clinic. She is the founder of the first Neurorehabilitation Clinic in Canada and the co-founder of Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre Head Injury Clinic. She is a Faculty Member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on improving patient care for individuals experiencing traumatic brain injury.