It’s hard to know how a person will think or act after a brain injury. But we do know there’s usually a pattern to recovery that starts soon after a serious brain injury. The Rancho Los Amigos Scale is often used to describe the pattern of thinking, memory, problem solving (cognitive ability) and general recovery after a brain injury.
There are 10 levels.
The level you’re at and rate you move through the levels is different for everyone. When you’ve had a brain injury, you:
- don’t always move quickly or clearly from one level to another
- may be within more than 1 level at a time
- may move quickly through levels
- may move slowly or not go past a level (because of how bad the brain injury was)
Information for family and caregivers
When you know the Rancho Los Amigos level, there are tips for how to help someone while they’re at a certain level. There are also tips for how to care for yourself (as a caregiver).
It’s helpful to remember to measure progress by looking at how they were from the time of brain injury, not how they used to be.
Please talk to the healthcare team as they can also offer more tips and support during this time.
