If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury in an Ontario car accident, the consequences might be overwhelming. TBI can be life-changing, and it can affect every aspect of your being. It not only can significantly impact your immediate financial picture with medical expenses and lost income, but it can also have a long-term impact on your career, your health, your finances and your loved ones.

Although you might be entitled to benefits that could ease the financial burden substantially, it is crucial to have thorough medical examinations immediately after the accident along with frequent follow-ups because some the most severe symptoms of brain injuries may not be immediately evident.

What is it like to live with TBI?

While many of those with whom you interact might not notice the physical and mental effects you suffer, your family members and others who are close to you will be very aware because it may also influence their lives. Any of the following changes can occur and become part of living with TBI:

Sleep patterns: The quality of sleep you get can play a role in your quality of life. Every victim is unique, and you might find that you sleep significantly more or less than before your injury, or you might have problems with falling asleep. These changes could adversely influence other symptoms you suffer.

Headaches: These are some of the most frequently reported after-effects of brain injuries, and they tend to become chronic, often with debilitating pain.

Emotional changes: The area of the brain that suffered damage can determine the emotional impact of the injury. You might feel depressed or anxious, and these feelings may come and go. Rapid mood swings can also occur, and you might become disinterested or impartial to pre-injury interests.

Communication skills: Following conversations might be demanding, even more so among groups of people, and you might struggle to express your thoughts in words.

Thinking and concentration: Your ability to concentrate may be impaired, and so could your short-term memory. Furthermore, it might be a struggle to learn and retain new information.

PTSD: The trauma of the accident and the severity of your injury might lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, which could bring about anxiety over your safety and your inability to control your life. Individuals with PTSD often avoid other people, and some even seek refuge in alcohol or drugs to suppress these fears and feelings. Fortunately, help is available to intervene.

Child development: If the victim was your child and not you, even mild brain injuries can hamper the development of his or her brain. Your child might have a continuous struggle to keep up with his or her peers.

Help is available

Even if you suffer only some of these consequences, the impact on your life as you knew it could be severe. Fortunately, under Ontario laws, you have legal rights to recover damages if another party’s negligence caused your injury. Furthermore, other avenues may be available to pursue compensation for losses and even long-term disability benefits. An experienced lawyer can carefully analyze your unique circumstances and guide you through pursuing your most viable options.

If you are a nurse or healthcare worker in Ontario, you likely face many safety and health hazards in your occupation. Unfortunately, some of these cause healthcare workers to be unable to continue performing their duties for a significant period of time. In these cases, receiving long-term disability benefits can be imperative to their financial futures. Yet, making a successful claim can be challenging.

Numerous physical and psychological hazards can put nurses at risk of illness and injury that result in long-term sick leaves.

Typical hazards for workers in the health care industry

As a health care worker, you likely already face high levels of work-related stress. You may be able to limit the impact of these hazards by understanding the following typical causes of work-related illness and injury and by taking appropriate precautions:

Physical hazards: Various dangerous situations can be present in health care facilities, many of which can lead to physical injuries. Spills and random objects where you have to move about – often at a high pace – can cause slip-and-fall accidents. Also, you may be at risk of objects falling onto you. Sharp objects can result in cuts and stabs, and sterilizing equipment pose risks of burning or scalding. Radiation threats from radioisotopes and x-rays can pose additional risks to your health. TIP: Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.
Ergonomic hazards: There may be many situations in which you must bend, stretch, pull and lift weights in awkward positions. Such actions may place extreme physical demands on the muscles, tendons and other soft tissues of your body. Long periods of standing and walking can also exacerbate already-taxed body parts. TIP: Take breaks, avoid overextending and get help for loads you cannot reasonably manage by yourself.
Psychological hazards: Some aspects of nursing can cause psychological problems. Repeated witnessing of traumatic events and injuries are only part of it. Other causes may come from exposure to violence, having to deal with difficult patients on your own, and occasions in which you have to make stressful and challenging decisions in an instant. TIP: Take time to disconnect, assess your emotional state and find ways to refresh yourself mentally on a regular basis.
Chemical hazards: Disinfecting, cleaning and sterilizing may expose you to various hazardous chemicals. Furthermore, anesthetic gases, medical waste, medication, drugs and allergies to products such as latex can pose additional hazards. TIP: Make it a habit to always follow proper procedures and prescribed precautions.
Biological hazards: The threat of contracting infectious and contagious diseases will be ever-present, some of which can result from needle stick injuries. Others sources of contractible illness include air-borne threats such as tuberculosis, blood-borne illnesses like hepatitis B and C as well as AIDS, and physically transmitted diseases such as clostridium difficile. Dangerous organisms that are drug resistant pose additional hazards, and the need for constant hand washing can result in dermatitis. TIP: Use of all applicable safety equipment. A single exception could expose you to danger.

Where to turn for help and support

All of the above hazards are potential long-term disability risks. If you are unable to return to your job duties after suffering any form of work-related harm, you likely have many questions and concerns about the process of filing for your LTD benefits.

There is often confusion and a lack of consistency from insurance companies regarding the interpretation of “total disability” within these insurance policies. If you have already submitted a claim that you believe was wrongfully denied by the insurance company, help is available. An experienced lawyer can carefully evaluate your unique circumstances and then fight to significantly increase your odds of receiving the maximum amount of benefits to which you are entitled.

Category: Long-term Disability

Understanding the impact of TBI on a victim’s life

Long-term disability – The risks nurses and healthcare workers face daily