Improving Your Memory after a Brain Injury Marilyn Lash, M.S.W.  A Brain Injury Can Change How You Think Many survivors have changes in cognition after a traumatic brain injury. These cognitive changes often mean that thinking is simply harder and takes longer. These are the changes that so often greatly concern survivors and families. They [...]

“You can change the world with a hot bath, if you sink into it from a place of knowing that you are worth profound care, even when you’re dirty and rattled.” ~ Anne Lamott

Isn’t this a beautiful quote? It warms my heart every time I read it. The phrase “profound care” invites me to sink into it, like that hot bath, and let the waters of deep, intense care embrace me. This sentiment applies to anyone, of course, but, to my mind, it applies especially to family caregivers.

Every preschooler effortlessly learns the alphabet by singing a catchy tune. Both educators and neurologists have long understood music’s role in brain development and memory retention. Song and speech occupy separate but related areas of the brain.

We humans are storytelling beings. We create our lives around the stories we hear, tell, and believe, and more importantly, around the meanings we give to those stories. After a brain injury to you or a loved one, the familiar stories of your life change, sometimes drastically, and the new stories you tell yourself can help or hinder your post-injury life.

“Once upon a time….” Who hasn’t heard those words? The age-old beginning of fairy tales, they immediately focus you on the story to come. With excitement, you wonder what adventures await the hero or heroine.

It was Norman Vincent Peale who said, “Change your thoughts and you can change your world”. There is a positive thought for every negative thought. It can be true for anyone with a traumatic brain injury. If a person can change his thoughts about his illness and realize that what he thinks is not necessarily an absolute, he will maintain a healthy attitude. This will have a positive effect on possible healing.

Prevention is the best strategy. At the heart of compassion resilience you’ll find intention, connection, and the ability to shift from a stress response to a more relaxed response. These skills won’t take away the problems you face, but they may help you to be a stronger and healthier caregiver.

In Part One of this post I’ll give you some information about compassion fatigue. In Part Two (next week), I’ll explain some good strategies to prevent or treat compassion fatigue. Caregiving for someone who has severe injuries or medical problems can be very stressful. Learning ways to manage the stress and emotional demands can protect your health and help you be a better caregiver.

Compassion fatigue is a form of severe stress that comes from caring for a person who is very seriously ill or injured. The person’s injuries can be physical or psychological. Often there is a combination. By learning how to recognize the warning signs of compassion fatigue, you can take care of yourself and reduce the emotional and physical stress of caregiving.

In England and Wales the general attitude with regards to compensation for all personal injury claims, is that the compensation should aim to help the injured person return to the position they were in before the accident.

An injury claimant is entitled to an award for their suffering, pain, and loss of amenity which is assessed by guidelines, similar cases and their own personal circumstances. Expert evidence will be called from experts across a wide range of medical and non-medical fields to assist with this claim.

Family caregivers of people with brain injury face stress, often intense, that can last for months and years. A new study suggests that the both emotional dysfunction and emotional health of a stressed caregiver can affect the recovery and rehabilitation of the injured person. Fortunately, there are many easy and inexpensive ways to relieve the stress associated with caregiving — including journaling, of course! — so that everyone can feel better. See more in this week’s post in Journal After Brain Injury, as well as prompts to help you deal with the stress.