Helping Families of Adults and Veterans with Brain Injury

The emotional trauma that accompanies the physical and medical trauma of a brain injury can affect every member of the family. This tip card describes common feelings and reactions of families during the early stages of the survivor’s hospital care, rehabilitation, and return home.

Information and tips to help family spouses cope with feelings of loss and adjust to changes in roles when a husband or wife has a traumatic brain injury or blast injury. Explains importance of self-care and setting up a support system to cope with and relieve stress in families after TBI.

The relationship between spouses, husband and wife, or partners changes when one member of the couple has a brain injury. This tip card helps families, caregivers and counselors understand how a brain injury changes a relationship. It corrects common myths about marriage, separation and divorce after brain injury and gives practical tips for partners.

Intimacy, sexuality and sex change after a brain injury. This tip card helps survivors of brain injury, families, couples, caregivers and counselors talk about intimacy, sexuality and sex and learn what is “normal” and communicate more openly. It provides practical tips about sex, sexuality and intimacy after a brain injury.

Children often feel lost and abandoned while family members spend long days and nights at the hospital. A parent’s absence from home changes the child’s world. This tip card helps family members recognize the needs and emotions of children when a parent has a brain injury. It gives tips on how to communicate with children of all ages and what to expect when mom or dad comes home.

Tips on talking with families about the emotional and physical trauma of brain injury. Gives strategies for responding to questions, comments, or dissatisfaction. Recognizes concerns and stresses of families when a member has a head injury.