A traumatic brain injury (TBI) might result from a car crash or a fall from a significant elevation. People with brain injuries are often compelled to navigate a host of challenging symptoms affecting their daily lives. They may spend quite some time in the hospital and may require ongoing care for the rest of their lives after sustaining harm.
Although most brain injuries are mild, some cases are so severe that they leave people permanently dependent on others for their daily needs. Sadly, researchers have found that recovery is much more of a challenge for women than it is for men in many cases.
Women have worse outcomes after brain injuries
More than one study has looked into and validated the differences in the sexes when it comes to brain injuries. Women tend to report more headaches or worse headaches after a brain injury. They are also more likely to have mental health challenges like depression and anxiety than men with brain injuries. Long after the brain injury occurs, a woman will have a higher risk for dementia. This may have a link to the increased report of depression experienced among women with brain injuries, as depression increases the chances of dementia. Finally, they are more likely to report short-term memory issues.
Research has looked at populations of both veterans and civilians with brain injuries. Female veterans with brain injuries are more likely than their male counterparts to have trouble finding jobs or lifelong romantic partners even though they also typically have more education than male veterans. Factors ranging from daily responsibilities when recovering from an injury and the care that people receive from healthcare professionals, as well as the prevalence of men in medical research, may all help explain why women often have worse outcomes after incurring a TBI.
More challenges may necessitate more compensation
Women coming to terms with the consequences of a brain injury or family members trying to support someone with a TBI need to understand the amount of compensation and support someone requires if they hope to meet that individual’s needs and prevent their household from incurring major losses because of the injury.
Learning more about the different challenges people with brain injuries face can help both those recovering from an injury and those caring for someone who can no longer live independently because of a brain injury to make more informed choices about their approach to their medical and legal needs alike.
