Brain Injuries- Aftermath.

Brain injuries can be the most debilitating and difficult injuries from which to recover, not just for the injured person, but also for those close to the injured person. Every brain injury is unique. Brain injuries can affect nearly every aspect of one’s life from being able to take care of personal needs to work and to family relationships. Depending upon the severity of the injury, physical, cognitive and emotional/behavioral consequences can range from mild and manageable with the proper therapies to complete dependence in all areas of care. A catastrophic brain injury affects nearly every area of a person’s life including the physical, the emotional, the social and the financial.

After many brain injuries life is not the same for the injured or their family members. Sometimes, families may be the ones who experience shock while their loved one is unconscious or incapacitated. It can be extremely confusing and frightening when confronted with the need to make important medical decisions on behalf of an incapacitated person at a time when it is nearly impossible to think clearly. The family may be overwhelmed when faced with the need to make important decisions for which they are totally unprepared. There may be a total disruption in the family’s routine and a resetting of priorities as time and attention are needed by the family member with the brain injury. In severe cases of brain injuries the injured individual may not even be conscious of his injuries, while the family is forced to face a lifetime of the aftermath.

The financial impact of a catastrophic brain injury can be profound. The overwhelming cost of health care is immediately apparent and overwhelming, but the person with the brain injury may not be able to work for months or years, if at all. If that person was supports a family the effects on can be devastating. Loss of the value the person brought to their family, work situation and community life may be incalculable.