Types of Brain Injury
Typically, there are two main types of brain injuries – Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).
A Traumatic Brain Injury is caused by a trauma to the head, such as an assault. The effects of a TBI varies hugely from person to person.
An Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is an injury that was caused after birth. There are many different causes of this including road traffic accidents, a fall, tumour, and infection.
Effects of Brain Injuries
Brain injuries can impact someone’s life in a number of ways and the effects are very broad. Even if someone has experienced a minor brain injury, the effects can still cause disruption to their day to day life in some form.
Some effects can include:
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Changes in mood
- Memory problems
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Speech problems
- Problem-solving issues
Those who have survived a severe brain injury are likely to experience problems with forming relationships, personality trait changes, and the inability to lead an independent life.
What Challenges Do Brain Injury Survivors Face?
The emotional effects of a brain injury, such as anxiety and depression, are just some of the consequences survivors must deal with. For instance, some may struggle to control their behaviour and suffer with memory problems.
Here are some of the challenges that people with brain injuries may face.
Covid-19 and Lockdown
According to Peter McCabe, Chief Executive of Headway, this means that brain injury survivors often “face[d] significant challenges in understanding and coping with” Covid-19 restrictions, for example.
“This can lead to conflict with other members of public as a result of not remembering the rules around social distancing, or excess pressure and emotional toil being placed on carers and family members,” he said.
Reduced access to specialist treatment also caused problems, as more than half of those who sustained a brain injury around the time of Covid-19 found it harder to get the care they need during lockdown. This included access to vital support that helps them cope and rehabilitation therapy.
The effect this can have on their recovery can’t be understated, so we’d urge anyone who has sustained a brain injury, or their loved ones, to get in touch with our specialist Personal Injury Lawyers without delay.
One of our Serious Injury Solicitors who regularly works with people with brain injuries, welcomed Headway’s efforts to raise awareness of the difficulties they faced throughout lockdown.
“I know from speaking to my clients and their families that lockdown and the fears of contracting Covid-19 are hard hitting,” she said. “People are afraid, confused and unsure as some of the restrictions ease and some of the lockdown rules seemingly shift by the minute.
“I’d urge all families and people suffering from a head injury or brain damage to look at the Headway website and if you don’t already have a Headway Card, apply to get one. This will identify you or your loved one as someone who’s suffered a brain injury and you can produce it if you encounter any challenging situations.”
Behavioural Issues
People who have suffered a brain injury may develop behavioural changes, which range in severity. While some people may have exaggerated personality traits, others may develop traits that feel completely out of character for them.
For example, a patient may have a sense of loss over their own behaviour, which results in socially inappropriate behaviour. This could range between minor incidents like speaking too openly about personal information to experiencing unpredictable outbursts of anger.
Patients can also suddenly become obsessed or fixated on something out of the blue, like someone will break into their home and steal their possessions. Or they may insist on things being done in a specific routine.
It’s also possible that someone with a brain injury can lose empathy and become very passive. In certain situations, they may appear to be unbothered by something that they should have an emotional response to.
While some people may improve in the future, not everyone with a brain injury will. Depending on the extent of the injuries, someone with a brain injury may improve or return back to how they once were. It can be a very difficult time, so it’s important that you have the support system around you to help care for your loved one.
Speech Problems
Following a brain injury, some people may experience problems with their speech. Once again, as with all effects from a brain injury, this can range in severity. For example, someone may be left unable to speak for several months.
How to Care for Someone with a Brain Injury
If you are caring for someone with a brain injury, it’s important that you understand how to offer the support that they need. There will be many challenges ahead of you but there is a lot of support available out there to help you if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Organisation
People with brain injuries can become easily confused, so it’s best to not keep moving things about. Try to keep their home organised and store items in the same place, so they know exactly where to find what they are looking for.
Routine
Make sure that you stick to a routine to keep their life as consistent as possible. Sometimes things can’t be prevented and a change in routine may need to happen, but where possible, try to discuss this with your family member beforehand, so they can prepare.
Patience
We understand that it’s a hard time, but you need to allow your family member to take their time when it comes to recovery and completing everyday tasks. Encourage them to keep working through any tasks that they need to at their own pace.
Strategies
People with brain injuries can be frustrated if they are experiencing memory loss and/or fatigue. You may see a pattern in their behaviour that helps you to form a strategy to help them cope. For example, they may find that writing things down in a journal is helpful.
Goals
If your loved one has any goals, help them focus on them. This can help with any mood changes, as they can feel that they are working towards achieving something positive. People with brain injuries can often feel lonely and unfulfilled, but helping them achieve goals, regardless of how small, can make a huge difference.
How Simpson Millar is Helping Brain Injury Survivors
We work very hard with all our clients and their families to offer them extra support during this difficult time. Our compassionate team understand the difficulties that people face after a brain injury, so we aim to make the claims process as stress-free as possible.
We understand that it may not always be possible to meet face to face, so we are here to offer our support in any way that we can. We are happy to provide our support and talk to our clients and their families by video call or telephone where needed.
The most important thing that we focus on is making sure that you are receiving the support that you need continually without disruption. We will also help our clients to have their treatment and rehabilitation coordinated by a dedicated Case Manager. All our appointment Case Managers are committed with us to making this happen for our clients.
We are experienced in helping clients with brain injuries, so we know how unique every claim will be. For this reason, we will always tailor our service to you. As such, if someone needs more Case Management support to help them through this difficult period, we will put that in place.
When we take on your case, we’ll always aim to achieve an interim payment of compensation before a settlement is given. This allows you to fund any additional support that you need without having to wait for a full settlement.
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