Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Recovering From A Brain Injury

Recovering from a brain injury is a long process in most cases. There are people who have miraculous and quick recoveries but this is more the exception that the rule. Most people have to work and fight very hard to get back functioning to the point they can comfortably do their day-to-day activities. Some people never return to that point at all.

After the initial crisis period of the brain injury there are a lot of pieces that need to be picked up and put back together. The crisis period includes the time period where you the person is initially injured and any hospital or ICU time that comes in the days or weeks thereafter.

Assuming the person is getting better and has a good prognosis at some point they will be ready to go home and then phase two which consists of various therapies start. The person may need help that they did not need before such as with shopping, cleaning and other day to day activities. For a certain amount of time there will likely be some unrest it figuring out how to get it all done and provide the person with the care they need.

This can become overwhelming and if you are caring for a loved one who has suffered from a brain injury you may want to consider joining a support group to avoid depression for example. The ability to talk to other people who are going through your same situation can really help a lot. You will need people to lean on during this time so do not be afraid to ask for help. If you are the now the primary caregiver for your love d one then you need to be in the best mental shape possible to deal with all of the issues that will arise.

You will likely have a whole list of therapies and follow up appointments that need to be tended to. Take it step by step and enlist help from your family and close friends. You will find that people are more than willing to lend a helping hand where they can but you have to be open to receiving that help to get it.

Assuming the therapies are working you may find that each day gets a little easier for your loved one. If you don’t see those changes quickly though don’t be discouraged. Keep walking the path and doing what you need to do for them and you will eventually find your light at the end of the tunnel.

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