Pate Rehabilitation offers Spanish language brain injury rehab because we recognize that our community is culturally diverse and takes pride in making our services widely accessible. For the vast majority of Hispanics, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home and as many as one in three experience problems communicating with their doctors.
- For physicians who may not have a patient’s complete medical history, assessing acquired brain injuries can be further complicated by a language barrier. Furthermore, the context and diagnosis can be even more difficult and frightening for the patient, including:
- Awakening to an unfamiliar language and/or culture after coma or post traumatic amnesia.
- Being tested for cognitive ability while possessing limited or no knowledge of the English language or culture the tests were created in.
- Enduring long-term treatment due to an inaccurate diagnosis.
To better serve patients, Pate Rehabilitation provides the same specialized care and support in Spanish as we do in English. Spanish-speaking therapists and caregivers, who are also sensitive to cultural differences, work with each patient and family to develop a personalized plan for better results. This includes therapies conducted in Spanish-speaking environments to enable patients to practice their therapies in their own cultural communities.
Our Spanish program helps patients and their families feel more comfortable to promote the best outcomes and accelerate rehabilitation.
The Spanish language brain injury rehab program benefits bilingual and/or bicultural patients as well. Switching between two languages requires a high degree of mental flexibility and complex attention. New understanding of recovery of acquired brain injuries shows that bilingual treatment provides an opportunity to strengthen pathways within the frontal cortex that are related to attention and behavior.
For more information on our programs and services for persons with acquired brain injuries, or to learn more about how you can help advocate for better access to care, please call 1.800.992.1149 or 972.241.9334