TBI linked to alterations of functional independence, quality of life in older adults

Key takeaways:

• Six older adults with TBI were interviewed for 90 minutes on the effects of their injury.
• The study revealed the primary issues were lack of support, functionality, social life and emotional health.

Traumatic brain injury in older adults was linked to alterations in self-perception, social life, ability to perform daily tasks and deterioration in quality of life for up to 5 years, according to research presented in Brain and Spine.

“It is known that in elderly patients, [traumatic brain injury]’s consequences are more severe than in younger patients, even when the TBI is classified as mild,” Rebeca Alejandra Gavrila Laic, MSc, a PhD researcher in biomechanics at KU Leuven, a research university in Belgium, and colleagues wrote. “The aging process usually results in a deterioration of the molecular and cellular functions.”

Laic and colleagues attempted to qualitatively investigate changes in quality of life for older adults who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

They conducted a focus group study including six individuals aged 65 years and older (median age 74 years), diagnosed with mild TBI and admitted to the University Hospitals Leuven between 2016 and 2022. Participants were selected by a researcher and subsequently contacted by either telephone or email, with the 90-minute interview taking place at UZ Leuven in May 2022 and covering topics such as functional disturbances and symptoms, issues with daily tasks, as well as feelings and satisfaction with life quality. Each participant interview occurred between 1 to 5 years post-TBI.

Results showed the most common factors affecting quality of life in the post-TBI range were a lack of functional support network, alterations in self-perception, negatively affected social life and persistent physical ailments directly related to the injury.

Participants also reported a lack of depression symptoms and feelings of shame, with acceptance of an individual’s situation post-injury and optimism for physical and emotional wellbeing shown as primary coping mechanisms.

“In our cohort, the acceptance of the situation and a good support network were described as protective factors for the patients’ well-being after TBI,” Laic and colleagues wrote. “Therefore, more efforts to provide psychological assistance and a support network for these patients after injury should be put.”