ABSTRACT
As medical technology not only extends the human natural life span, but also leads to increased survival from illness and accidents, the number of people with disabilities is constantly increasing. In comparison to all types of disability, those to the brain are among the most likely to result in death or permanent disability. In the European Union, brain injury accounts for 1 million hospital admissions per year (Council of Europe, 2002). Injury is the leading cause of death for children in Europe. For every child that dies from injuries, another 160 children are admitted to a hospital for a severe traumatic brain injury (Vincenten, 2001). Each year in the United States, an estimated 1.4 million people sustain a brain injury (Langlois et al., 2004; North American Brain Injury Society, 2005). Studies have reported personality changes attributed to brain damage, which contribute to the perception of those with brain injury as social misfi ts. As a result of this, individuals with brain damage o en face diffi culty in adjusting to their injuries, causing extreme isolation and loneliness (DeHope and Finegan, 1999). Brain-damaged patients typically exhibit defi ciency in memory, attention, concentration, analyzing information, perception, language abilities, and emotional and behavioral areas (Serra and Muzio, 2002). In the United Kingdom, out of every 100,000 of the population, between 100 and 150 people suff er a brain damage (Tyrer, 2005). Some cannot communicate, recreate, or control their environment due to severe motor impairment.
