Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

Getting the house ready for coming home

After a serious brain injury, a child's needs can change quickly, first in the hospital and then week by week at home. Some children come home in a wheelchair and later walk again. Others need long-term help with transfers, bathing and stairs. Your rehab team is the best judge of where your child is headed. We build so the house is ready for the first day home and does not have to be torn up again in six months.

What usually changes first

• The entry. A ramp or no-step entry so the trip home ends at the front door, not at a step.

• A main-floor bedroom and bathroom. Often a temporary setup at first, then a permanent roll-in shower and wider doorway.

• Transfers. A ceiling lift or patient lift so parents are not lifting a growing child many times a day.

What families tell us

Families tell us the discharge date arrives faster than the house is ready. They want someone who can measure this week, put a plan in front of the rehab team, and build fast enough to matter. They also want changes that can be adjusted as their child recovers.

How we plan with the rehab team

Discharge planners, OTs and PTs know what equipment is coming home. We measure the house, share drawings with the team and build in the order that matters most. The written estimate goes to you and to the therapist so a case manager, insurer or waiver coordinator has what they need.

Head injury is one of the conditions Texas HHSC names as qualifying for the CLASS waiver, which may pay toward minor home modifications if approved. If the injury happened in a car crash or at work, an insurance claim may also apply. See who pays for home modifications in Texas.

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