1. The Temporal Lobes – A Brain Anatomy Series

Do you know what they do?

Did you know? Temporal lobes are located in the region of the head commonly called “the temples”. These are on the side of the head, just above the ears. They play a major role in memory, hearing and being able to verbalise thoughts.

Did you know? Injury to this brain area can cause seizures, auras, or silent periods of thought.

What might you see in someone with a temporal lobe injury?

Do you remember me? – Loss of memory is very common following injuries to the temporal lobes. This can range from long to short-term memory problems and can include difficulty in remembering names and faces.  The individual may at some level realise they are having difficulties and so will adopt strategies to cover it up.  If challenged the individual will may deny it or become aggressive/ defensive.

What did you say? – Besides an actual loss of hearing they might struggle with the spoken word.  This includes struggling to understand what is being said or recalling the word they are looking for.   Ironically another result of an injury to the right Temporal Lobe can be persistent talking.

Where did I leave it? – Another aspect of the struggle with words can be difficulty identifying, categorising and locating objects. For example, if the individual is asked to list things they would find in a bathroom, they may struggle to get started or produce a random list of words.

How can Reach help your client?

Assessing what the problem is – As part of a professional assessment Reach’s experienced Occupational Therapists will establish the nature and severity of the problem. This may require input from other disciplines, for example, a hearing test may reveal whether hearing loss is behind difficulties following a conversation.

Design a rehabilitation package – Reach’s rehabilitation packages are individually designed to overcome the problems being experienced. For individuals suffering from memory problems Apps and electronic equipment can be very useful. Various Apps and Smart Speakers (eg Alexa) are available to provide prompts. They can act as a reminder as to when things need to happen, everything from a doctor’s appointment to putting the bins out or a recipe which has been only partly remembered.

Practice continually – Although teaching techniques and strategies are at the heart of a programme to make a difference they have to become second nature. Coaching family and friends on how to encourage continual use of these compensatory techniques can be important for the individual to get the best out of the rehabilitation programme. Reach rehabilitation programmes are time-limited so it is truly beneficial for others to ensure the individual doesn’t forget good habits.

For more information on how we can help your client, please contact us