Patients with brain injury are guided through a continuum of care that takes them from post-coma stages through community reentry. This may include some or all of the following:

1. Intensive inpatient rehabilitation, including an Early Recovery program
2. Day Treatment program
3. Inpatient Neurobehavioral program
4. Transitional Living Center, located on the Wallingford campus

Gaylord has one of the most comprehensive brain injury rehabilitation programs in the East. Although the hospital has treated people with brain injuries for decades, the formal program began in 1980.

An Early Recovery Brain Injury program is available for patients who are not yet able to tolerate an aggressive therapy schedule, but are expected to progress to a traditional, intensive rehabilitation program.

The care team begins planning for the patient's treatment even before his or her arrival. Since no two brain injuries are alike, an individualized program is developed based on the person's specific needs. Various rehabilitation services are added to physical and occupational therapies because brain injuries often profoundly affect major systems of the body, including those that enable a person to speak, comprehend, reason and remember. An academic group is available to assist patients with the relearning process.

Extensive neuropsychological and physical services help patients regain sensorimotor, speech and behavioral skills. All aspects of the program are therapeutic in nature. Eating breakfast or taking lunch break provides an opportunity to practice physical as well as psychosocial skills under the supervision of specially trained professionals.

Gaylord remains committed to helping people adapt to disability created by brain injury—even after discharge as an inpatient. Outpatient rehabilitation maximizes independence and community reintegration skills. Throughout all levels of treatment, family members are encouraged to remain involved in the rehabilitation process. Support group meetings and Gaylord's family education series provide guidance for family members learning to adapt to a loved one's brain injury. In seeking ways to improve their coping skills, many patients and their families benefit from the hospital's psychology department and the chaplain's office.

Program Highlights

• Gaylord's family education lectures and support group meetings facilitate understanding of brain injury.
• Referring physicians are informed of their patients' progress.
• The day treatment program is an intensive outpatient service designed to improve the function and independence of people with brain injury through:
  • cognitive and behavioral retraining
  • psychosocial counseling
  • individual and group sessions
• Patients ready to practice independent living skills may be eligible for admission to the Louis D. Traurig Transitional Living Center on the Wallingford campus. The freestanding, eight-bed house offers clients the chance to practice problem-solving techniques and enhance social skills through peer interaction.

More Information

Brain Injury Program information

Program Brochure
Public Relations, or call 1.866.GAYLORD, extension 2829

Admissions Office
Admissions, or call 1.866.GAYLORD, extension 2810, or 203.284.2810
Fax: 203.284.2811
Write: Admissions Office, Gaylord Hospital,
P.O. Box 400, Wallingford, CT 06492