A Guide For Overwhelmed Relatives: Caring For A Loved One With A Traumatic Brain Injury
Brain injuries not only affect the lives of the individuals suffering from long term effects of the brain damage, but they can also transform the lives of entire families. You may need to make substantial changes to the way you live, and depending on the severity of your family members brain injury, you may also need to become a part-time or full-time carer. If you are caring for a loved one with a brain injury or someone close to you has recently suffered from a brain injury, you may be feeling overwhelmed and in need of support. Our guide will help you understand what you need to know in this difficult time.
Hospital Systems
When a brain injury occurs, it can be a confusing and frightening time for all involved. The treatment for brain injuries vary for each type; in the case of severe traumatic brain injuries, your loved one will typically be taken to the nearest emergency department to be assessed and stabilised. Once stabilised, your family member should then be transferred to a neurological centre or a general hospital, where they will be treated in a non-specialist ward. In the case of being admitted to a general hospital, the doctors on the non-specialist ward should consult with neurologists and neurosurgeons to ensure that your loved one is receiving the best possible care.
It is essential to remember that hospital staff will not be able to provide you with definite answers during the early stages and that staff are not deliberately keeping you in the dark. Doctors and nurses will do their best to answer your questions, and they will keep you updated when there is news, but it is vital that you try not to feel too frustrated in the beginning as it’s likely that they won’t have the answers to give you until further down the line.
What You Can Do
When a brain injury happens to someone we love, it is normal to feel helpless and desperate to contribute constructively to their care. Helping a family member can take many forms, and the best way to get started is to communicate with the medical staff assigned to your loved one’s care. They will be able to provide you with appropriate ways to help and feel involved during the duration of your relative’s hospital stay.
You can also arrange when family and friends can visit the hospital so that you are giving everyone a chance to provide support without overwhelming your loved one or causing disruption to their treatment. Furthermore, you can assist in their recovery by providing stimulation which you can do by talking to your loved one, reading books and magazines aloud, or by playing their favourite films and TV shows. With permission from the hospital staff, you may also be allowed to help with personal grooming needs that your loved one may not be comfortable letting staff perform.
The science behind the brain is a fascinating subject and understanding how it works and providing appropriate stimuli may help the loved one as the impacts a traumatic brain can sometimes be lessened over time.
Legal Support
Often the last thing on your mind during your loved one’s treatment and recovery period is legal support but it is an important aspect to consider.
If your family member’s traumatic brain injury is a result of negligence, it is vital that you start claim proceedings as early as possible on behalf of your relative. The long-term effects of a traumatic brain injury can be devastating to both your loved one and your family. Traumatic brain injuries can occur as a result of a road traffic accident, work injury, a fall in a public place, an animal attack, an assault, or an accident abroad. The path to recovery following a traumatic brain injury can be a long one; with only three years from when the injury occurred to claim, it is imperative that you make a claim as early as you can for your loved one while documenting as much evidence as possible.
For more information on how to claim and for advice, why not visit Lanyon Bowdler solicitors, or similar specialists, who are expert brain injury solicitors?
How To Help Yourself
When dealing with any medical emergency in the family, it’s imperative that you remember to care for yourself as it’s all too easy to focus solely on the loved one in the hospital while forgetting your own needs.
One of the first things you should do for yourself is ensuring you have proper support by seeking out professional help from hospital staff, your GP, or the Patient Advice and Liaison Service. As well as professional support, you will need the emotional support of family and friends to help you cope with this challenging time. Ask family to help with household tasks while you’re in the hospital, ask someone to field the enquiries from extended family and friends, and, if you have children, arrange for someone to help with childcare.
It’s crucial that you remember that you and the rest of the family don’t need to be at the hospital indefinitely. You will cope better if you are all able to return home for rest, and if you struggle to sleep due to the stress, you might like to try a natural sleep remedy or, if necessary, your GP will be able to help you find a solution.