Supporting someone with acquired brain injury
What is acquired brain injury?
An acquired brain injury is an injury which has occurred to the brain after birth, rather than a condition which is genetic or hereditary.
The term ‘acquired brain injury’ covers all causes of injury to the brain since birth, including those resulting from trauma (for instance a head injury caused by an accident or assault), and medical events (such as a stroke, brain tumour or brain haemorrhage).
Supporting someone with acquired brain injury
The impact of an acquired brain injury can be extensive, potentially affecting the individual’s communication, mobility and ability to live independently. It can be hard for the person affected to come to terms with a future they didn’t choose, and difficult for their loved ones to understand how best to support them.
There is no shame in seeking the help of specialist acquired brain injury support services, who will understand your circumstances and be able to provide the insight, advice and support that you need.
Support services for acquired brain injury
Person-centred acquired brain injury support starts with getting to know the individual, their outlook on life, and the things that they loved doing before their acquired brain injury. From there, the specialist acquired brain injury support team work with the individual and their loved ones to create a bespoke support plan which enables them to work towards something to achieve, for instance regaining a degree of independence, finding new ways of communicating, or going on holiday.
This is exactly how the Realise team have supported Stephen, after a brutal attack left him with an acquired brain injury, left side paralysis and an inability to communicate verbally. Thanks to the specialist acquired brain injury support provided by the team, Stephen has learned British Sign Language to enable him to communicate his thoughts and feelings, is able to live largely independently in his own flat, has been supported to go on family holidays and has also rediscovered his inner adrenaline junkie with supported abseiling, canoeing and zip-lining expeditions.
Read more about how tailored acquired brain injury support services are helping Stephen to live the life he chooses.
Support for people with learning disabilities, autism or acquired brain injury
Our Realise team are experts in providing individually-tailored care and positive behaviour support for people with learning disabilities, autism or acquired brain injury. Find out more about the Realise team, and the empowering, person-centred support they provide.
