After a serious accident, you want to be supportive of your injured loved one, but you may not know how. It’s an unexpected situation, and it leaves many caregivers and other family members and friends at a loss for what to do. Recovery from serious injuries, such as brain injury and other debilitating injuries, can be a long, painful, and frustrating process. It can also be very frightening and emotionally painful for victims and those who love them.
How You Can Help
There are many ways in which you can show your support and truly help your loved one recover or adjust to their injuries:
- Make your home as comfortable as possible. Set things up so that your injured loved one can be as independent as possible. Make it safe. Create a space where they can relax and feel happy. Try to surround your loved one with the things that will make life more pleasant.
- Take an active role in your loved one’s recovery. Attend doctor visits and physical therapy. Encourage your loved one to do prescribed activities at home to the extent possible, and when appropriate engage with him in the process.
- Encourage your loved one to do things he enjoys, without pushing him to the point that it wears him out too much.
- Keep your loved one involved. Help him do things rather than just doing things for him. Encourage him to participate in what you are doing, in any way they can. If you are doing a task that your loved one would normally do, don’t hesitate to ask for his advice. He still needs to be a wanted, needed, productive part of the household.
- For people with brain injuries who have memory problems or difficulty planning or staying on task, make lists and visual reminders to help them so they can be more independent instead of relying on you to tell them things.
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