Welcome to the start of your child’s rehabilitation journey. You will receive a lot of information in the coming days. Caregivers, well-meaning friends, the internet, support groups and other families are all good sources of information, but it’s a lot to take in. Don’t try to learn everything at once. Rely on your professional team to guide you through the steps, day by day.
Nerves carry information from the brain to the rest of the body, and vice versa. The arm and leg contains numerous nerves that transmit information for muscle contraction, sensation, and reflexes. The nerves that innervate the arm leave the central nervous system (spinal cord) through several areas in the neck, and form a complex structure called the Brachial Plexus. The same occurs for the leg. The nerves are larger near the neck / lumbar spine, and eventually divide to form smaller branches in the upper arm, forearm, and hand and thigh, calf and foot.
Dementia is the term used to describe a set of symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by disease. Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with Alzheimer’s disease. It is the most common type of dementia, but it is only one of many forms.
Disability, or limitation in the ability to carry out basic functional daily activities, becomes increasingly common with advancing age.
Disability, or limitation in the ability to carry out basic functional daily activities, becomes increasingly common with advancing age.