Growing up with Traumatic Brain Injury


young girl in wheelchair

Growing up with TBI, as told by Anna’s parents

Anna is a young adult woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury at six weeks of age from a motor vehicle accident. She suffers from executive function issues due to trauma to the brain’s frontal lobe. This affects her mood, her ability to plan and her socialization skills. Anna is very sensitive to noise, large groups of people and people who are too energetic. She is most successful in an environment that is calm, has fewer people and is structured. 

Most people don’t realize the day to day struggles people with traumatic brain injury experience just to manage their day. The challenge with obtaining care in the home has always been matching the right caregiver with Anna and having them understand her needs and behaviors as a brain injured adult. 

When our family moved to Prescott, Arizona, it was important to find a care agency with an understanding of brain injury and caregivers with the ability to engage with Anna in a positive way. I was reluctant to turn over care to an in-home care agency after many failed respite interactions. I was introduced to SYNERGY HomeCare of Prescott and had initial contact with Alan Wikman, the owner. Alan was very compassionate and understanding of my current needs and concerns. Having had years of experience with various respite providers, I was able to determine very quickly that SYNERGY HomeCare was different and did spend more time screening and training their caregivers.

Anna’s needs require consistent and reliable caregivers who can meet her daily needs in a predictable and structured environment. The caregivers from SYNERGY HomeCare are friendly, understanding and reliable. The caregivers allow Anna to do as much as she can and coach her when things are more challenging. They provide the security and positive environment Anna needs to be successful in our home. Even when Anna’s days are more challenging, they provide patience, empathy and safety to bring about a positive change for Anna.