6 ways caregivers can play an active role in the Constant Therapy journey

If you’re a caregiver for someone recovering from a stroke or traumatic brain injury, or coping with any other neurological condition or event, you play a pivotal role in your loved one’s recovery journey. By providing day-to-day support, your presence alone contributes significantly to their physical and emotional well-being. Beyond everything you already do, you may also find yourself wondering if there are specific steps you can take to help your loved one best leverage Constant Therapy’s program for their unique needs. If that’s the case, here are six ways caregivers can actively contribute to your loved one’s journey with Constant Therapy:

1. Gently remind your loved one to do their Constant Therapy as often as possible.

   Regular practice is crucial to get the most out of a cognitive and speech therapy regime, and Constant Therapy is no exception! While patients do not need to practice Constant Therapy every day to derive significant gains from the program, research shows that practicing Constant Therapy 4 days a week is the sweet spot for optimal results. A caregiver’s reminders are especially important if your loved one struggles with memory lapses and may otherwise forget to complete their regimen.

2. Provide encouragement and reassurance to keep progress in perspective.

   It is only natural if your loved one becomes frustrated when a task that used to be seamless is suddenly challenging after a neurological event. Constant Therapy’s groundbreaking program uses a proprietary NeuroPerformance Engine to customize each patient’s regimen for their unique challenges. As someone improves at assigned tasks, Constant Therapy automatically adjusts the difficulty to ensure continued progress. That said, if your loved one is fixated on the analytics at the end of a session, they may lose sight of the fact that a slightly lower percentage of correct answers might actually reflect the fact that they are now completing a more difficult program. As the caregiver and therapy partner, you can help your loved one put things in perspective by reminding them that the brain is like a muscle: it must be constantly challenged to grow stronger.

3. Suggest breaks during longer sessions.

   Some Constant Therapy users are highly enthusiastic and like to do several sessions back-to-back or continue practicing individual exercises after already completing a daily program. While that type of motivation should truly be applauded, it is important to give the brain time to rest and consolidate learning gains. If your loved one has been doing Constant Therapy for a particularly long stretch of time (this is dependent on the individual, but an hour is often a good point to check in to offer a break), it can be helpful when the caregiver encourages them to take a break for a snack, a walk, or a meditative practice.

4. Identify the ideal daily time window for Constant Therapy.

   Each person has a unique circadian rhythm that produces energy and alertness peaks and valleys at different times of the day. Most caregivers are highly attuned to your loved one’s daily rhythms, and you are best positioned to help identify the optimal time of day for them to practice Constant Therapy. Completing exercises when most alert and engaged can help solidify and improve cognitive and language improvements.

5. Select Constant Therapy tasks that address immediate needs.

   Because you interact with your loved one on a daily basis, you may notice particular struggles that would not be readily apparent to a clinician who sees them intermittently. Fortunately, Constant Therapy has a customizable program that allows the caregiver, patient or clinician to manually add exercises in specific skill areas, such as using math or comprehending speech. Do not hesitate to tweak your loved one’s program to home in on tasks that are the most value-added for their particular stage of recovery. In collaboration with any clinicians involved in your loved one’s Constant Therapy program, you can use self-guided mode to adjust tasks that are most relevant to them.

6. Partner with your loved one’s healthcare team to track Constant Therapy progress.

   One of the key benefits of Constant Therapy is that, with a clinician account, your loved one’s healthcare provider can readily keep abreast of their performance over time. The program’s built-in analytics offer caregivers a clear window into recovery trends that are otherwise difficult to track. In partnership with you and your loved one, clinicians can then use this information to inform treatment decisions and set recovery benchmarks.

As one of the most important advocates for your loved one, you are always looking out for ways to help them through their recovery. While this article’s tips hopefully provide a useful starting point for caregivers looking to play a more active role in someone’s Constant Therapy journey, it is just as crucial to remember that your well-being is vitally important. If you’re already pressed for time and energy during the day, do not place additional pressure on yourself to “do more.” You are already doing more than enough, and the love and support you give to your loved one every day is an invaluable contribution as is.

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