ABSTRACT
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a complex pathophysiological response to biomechanical forces imparted to the brain. It results from a direct or indirect external biomechanical force that may include a diminished or altered state of consciousness. Due to advances in medical technology, people are now surviving TBI at an accelerated rate and is imperative to understand how to maximise long-term outcomes for these individuals to ensure the best quality of life as they age with TBI. To this end, researchers have recently argued that TBI should be viewed and managed as a chronic disease. Taking such a view as a starting point, this chapter reviews the relevant literature around long-term outcomes for people with TBI. It argues that there is an ongoing need for clinicians and researchers to understand how health conditions persist over the long term as individuals age following brain injury. It also suggests that it is important that practitioners develop interventions that optimise the functioning and participation of individuals with TBI and reduce caregiver burden.
