Gender and Gray Matters
When it comes to Brain Injury, all things are not created equal. It’s not that women sustain brain injuries more often than men. They don’t. High risk groups are usually male, ages 17 to 24. The fastest growing population segment for brain injury is falls by those over 65 and while statistics are difficult to obtain it appears that brain injuries are relatively equal in occurrence for men and women in that age group. In cases such as domestic violence, the risk of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is far greater for women than their male counterpart. Known as “concussion” in its milder, more temporary form, TBI is a blow to the head from an external source that causes damage to the brain. Often confused with TBI, conditions that occur from within the brain such as stroke and epilepsy are classified as Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).
From impact to recovery, women are vital to persons who have sustained a TBI. Most nurses in Emergency and Intensive Care units are women and whether or not the injured is male or female, the return home is usually attended by a caregiver who is female. Because the highest risk group for TBI is young males, it is usually a son that requires the care of the family’s chief caregiver, mom. If the female member of a couple is injured, the male is more likely to be working out of the home, leaving the injured in the care of a female caregiver. The divorce rate among couples is upwards of 80% regardless of which partner is injured. Compared to their male counterparts, injured women are more likely to suffer economically because of their lower incomes.
While economic, gender and brain injury issues are not solved simultaneously; it’s nice to know that awareness and prevention can take us in the right direction. That’s because 85% of all TBI is preventable and the injury that is prevented is good for everyone, regardless of gender or income level.
Gail Pascoe is founder and Executive Director of Making Headway Center for Brain Injury Recovery. She has over 30 years of experience in Brain Injury prevention and treatment.