Resource Guide Glossary - Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington

Glossary of Terms

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Figure-Ground	The differentiation between the foreground and the background of a scene; this refers to all sensory systems, including vision, hearing, touch.
Fixation, Visual	A pause of the line of sight on something of interest in the visual world.
Flexion	Bending a joint.
Flaccid	Lacking normal muscle tone; limp.
Focal	Restricted to one region (as opposed to diffuse) focus, eye- can imply 1) Convergence of the two eyes. 2) Accommodation of the lenses of the two eyes. 3) Tracking something by moving the eyes. 4) Attended to something. Because the term has several meanings its use should perhaps be avoided.
Foley Catheter	This is a tube inserted into the urinary bladder for drainage of urine. The urine drains through the tube and collects into a plastic bag.
Frontal Lobe	Front Part of the brain; involved in planning, organizing, problem solving, selective attention, personality and a variety of "higher cognitive functions".
Frustration Tolerance	The ability to persist in completing a task despite apparent difficulty. Individuals with a poor frustration tolerance will often refuse to complete tasks which are the least bit difficult. Angry behaviour, such as yelling or throwing things while attempting a task is also indicative of poor frustration tolerance.
Functional Ability	Capacity for performing an act that results in a practical end result.

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Material for the glossary was provided by the Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA).