Best apps for post-concussion and brain injured clients
In a world surrounded by technology it has become increasingly common to monitor and manage our health through apps on your phone. However, scouring the app store with its thousands of apps to find great, useful apps can be overwhelming, especially for those suffering from a brain injury. Here is a list of applications that we highly recommend for clients suffering from a brain injury - whether its post-concussion syndrome or a traumatic brain injury. We have compiled this list based on our own professional opinions and are meant to supplement the work being done in coordination with healthcare practitioners.
MindShift (Free)
This is one of my favourite applications! Any person can use this app and benefit from it, but it is especially a useful tool for brain injury clients. A collaboration between AnxietyBC, and the BC Children’s Hospital, this app is a basic but thorough guide to help users manage their stress and anxiety through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It gives the user strategies, education, and tools for reducing stress and changing the thought patterns that lead to stressful/anxious reactions in the body. This is essential to promoting brain recovery post-injury as the brain cannot heal unless it is a calm and relaxed state.
Headways (Free)
Created by a clinic psychologist in British Columbia, this is an app designed to provide good, basic information regarding post-concussion syndrome symptom management and guidelines for post-concussion recovery. It is meant to give clients and their family members guidance, education and strategies on managing symptoms and pacing a schedule to facilitate and maximize recovery safely. It allows you to plan a gradual return to recreational, physical, vocational and educational activities
Nutrients ($6.99)
One understated and often forgotten factor in promoting recovery after brain injury is diet. The body needs the proper healthy fuel and support in order to operate and function properly. There are many diet apps out there but Nutrients is one of the few apps that’s main focus isn’t to count calories. It allows you to search and record the nutrients you are getting from your diet so that you have an idea if you are meeting the proper recommendations for your diet.
Beditations (Free + In-App Purchases)
Sleep is an essential component to helping the brain heal. Beditations gives you guided meditations that help you to relax and fall asleep. It allows the user to let go of tension and stress in the body in order to fall asleep in a calm state, allowing the brain to be in an optimal state to promote healing and recovery.
Pacifica (Free + In-App Purchases)
Pacifica is an app that gives the user daily tools for understanding and coping with stress and anxiety. Based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy & Meditation practices, it is a great way to track daily health goals, record your mood fluctuations, and monitor recurrent thought patterns. The app also offers meditations and breathing exercises to help the client tune into their body and let go of stress.
QCard (Free + In-App Purchases)
Qcard was actually designed by an ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) survivor for ABI survivors! It is a memory app that helps brain injured clients remember everyday tasks and appointments. The reminders are broken down into three different categories:
Quick Reminders – reminders to do short simple tasks (ex. take medication, buy a certain item at the store)
Guided Tasks – step by step reminders to do tasks with multiple steps (ex. bedtime routine, cooking a meal)
Appointments – reminders for appointments
Youtube (Free)
I can’t even begin to describe how useful Youtube is for brain injury recovery. You can find just about any resource on Youtube for free - whether it is gentle yoga routines, binaural stimulation music, or guided meditations. There is also an abundance of educational videos about the biochemistry of concussions, useful tips to manage symptoms, and new, exciting research that is being pursued around the world.