Excerpt from 'Roller Coaster Ride With Brain Injury (For Loved Ones)'

Changes On His Road To Rehabilitation

"At the Care Centre, Larry seemed to become even more frustrated and angry. He became a very difficult patient and began 'lumping' me in with those he considered were the 'bad guys' (the hospital staff). Trying to get him to do any exercises to help with his memory and other issues with his brain injury was like butting my head against the wall. During this period of time, he thought the staff should be doing things for him and he shouldn't have to do anything for himself even when he was able to.

I reminded him of the ball I had brought in previously so he could squeeze it to help build up the strength in his hands and upper body - he wouldn't do it. I again suggested that he be proactive - that it was his body and he should have the most interest in making it well. He insisted that it wasn't up to him. He insisted they should be taking him to the exercise pool but they couldn't because he couldn't weight bear and he wouldn't listen to instructions and/or couldn't remember them.

During this period Larry often asked me to leave. Some days he was so difficult that I dreaded the thought of returning the following day. One day I was so frustrated with his behavior that I left. But most days I stayed for about six or seven hours. His biggest area of difficulty during this time seemed to be his short-term memory. He couldn't remember his recent 'yesterdays'. There were exercises which I tried to convince him were extremely important to do but most often he argued."