Brain Waves: UAB Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Newsletter Volume 15 | Number 1 | Page 2
LIFE AFTER TBI
Managing Behavior Problems after TBI: Being Uncooperative
Behavior problems can be a
major challenge for families who
have a loved one with a traumatic
brain injury (TBI). The University of
Alabama at Birmingham Traumatic
Brain Injury Model System (UAB-
TBIMS) is helping families by offering
a series of articles in Brain Waves on
understanding and managing many of
the most challenging behavior issues
after TBI. Here, we focus on what
you can do on those times when your
loved one is being uncooperative.
What is uncooperative behavior?
Uncooperative behavior is when
there’s an unwillingness to take part
in activities that are necessary to
maintain health and welfare. For
someone with a TBI, some examples
might be refusing to dress, eat, or do
other everyday tasks.
Why are people with TBI
uncooperative?
The first thing to know is that your
loved one isn’t being uncooperative
to spite you. The behavior is usually a
way to tell you something that she or
he can’t express to you verbally. Your
loved one is usually uncooperative
because she or he is:
1. Confused about the activity;
2. Not comfortable doing the
activity; or
3. Tired and needs some rest.
What can I do to gain cooperation?
This can be a delicate situation to
manage. While you do not want to
force your loved one to do something,
you do need to see that certain tasks
are completed.
If you can, you want to first find out
the reason there’s an unwillingness to
take part in the activity. If your loved
one is confused, you may need to ask
several questions to get to the actual
answer. And remember, something
that may not seem important to you
can be important to him or her.
An example might be that your
loved one doesn’t want to get
dressed. You can ask why she or
he doesn’t want to get dressed. The
answer may as simple as a dislike for
the color of the clothing, or it may be
that the clothing is uncomfortable.
Once you determine why, there
may be an easy solution to gain
cooperation. In the example above,
you simply find different color clothing
or more comfortably clothing. If your
loved one is tired, you might schedule
a rest period or add more rest periods
during the day.
Other situations may not be
as simple to resolve. Below are
eight suggestions that might be
helpful when you’re trying to gain
cooperation in problem situations.
You can try one or a combination of
suggestions to find what works.
1- Explain the activity
Explaining the task, why it’s
being done, and what’s required is
a good way to help someone with
TBI know what to expect. Answer all
questions. Your loved one is more
likely to cooperate when he or she
understands what’s happening.
2 - Change the order of the tasks
Sometimes you can get better
cooperation with tasks by simply
adjusting the order of the way they’re
done. Let’s say, for example, dressing
is a difficult or tiring task for your
loved one to do. If dressing early in
the day is frustrating or tiring, it may
lead the person to then become
uncooperative with other tasks left to
be done. So instead of dressing early,
you might wait until the very end of
the morning routine to dress. Other
Get Involved In UAB Research!
Brave Initiative
The University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) aims to
improve the motor deficit of veterans who have sustained
a traumatic brain injury. Potential participants must:
• be at least 19 years old and 3 months post TBI;
• have movement problems or weakness of the
•
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arms, but the ability to make at least some limited
movements with the more affected hand;
have no excessive pain; and
be able to undergo MRI
If you believe you meet the criteria above and would like
to participate in this study, Go to the website, call 205-
934-9768, or email for more information.
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uab.edu/tbi
Project LIFT
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Traumatic
Brain Injury Model System is evaluating the impact of
telephone-based health education programs on health,
lifestyle, and aspects of quality of life for people with TBI
and their families. Participants are asked to:
• answer questions over the phone about your health
and lifestyle;
• have 2 in-person visits to UAB to collect additional
information about your health; and
• participate in a 24-26 week telehealth program
designed for people with TBI and their families.
Call 205-934-3345 or email [email protected] for more
information.