ABSTRACT
Subarachnoid haemorrhage can affect people's thinking in a number of different ways. They may have dif®culties with their short-or long-term memory, concentration and attention, decisionmaking, taking in new information, learning new skills, and with thought processes generally (Foulkes 2004; Brain and Spine Foundation 2005b). Even when someone has made a good neurological recovery, cognitive impairments are still very common and can have a signi®cant impact on people's lives (C.R. Scott 2006). As Shirley wrote:
The main difference between normal pre-SAH and now is the
loss in capacity of certain mental abilities. Thank heavens for
technology and spellcheckers, otherwise this would probably
be quite dif®cult to read. I ®nd that I have to slow down when
writing anything by hand, otherwise I get the letters back to
front. Whereas I could do several different things at once,
everything now takes much more concentration so I do ®nd my
working day quite tiring. I tend to forget things, so I make a lot
of notes. I also have several `confused' moments a day ±
moments where I will go into a colleague's of®ce to ask her
something and then not know what it was. People say they
have these moments too but I sometimes stand up to go
somewhere or do something and then everything goes blank. I
can't remember what I got up to do.
