STRENGTH & UNDERSTANDING

What is Brain Injury and how it affects our daily lives.

Talking about brain injury is difficult because for many it is invisible. It's in our head and how can you explain this to family, friends and acquaintances or the public at large.

We can see a broken leg, and the effect it has on the person but understanding the brain is more complex, it affects our ability to communicate with others and our social network. The brain is starved of oxygen and this affects the whole brain area.

It affects our thinking, our energy levels and our concentration. The first impressions of an individual take only a few minutes and in many cases how we present ourselves to other people. Judgements can be made by other people when they first meet and they can be quite harsh. This can be hurtful to a person who has a brain trauma through no fault of their own. A trauma can happen in a split second through a fall, a blow to the head or a sports injury

There are many challenges for the person with a brain injury such as following a conversation. Trying to follow a conversation can lead to extreme tiredness and irritability. The person who is conversing with them forms the opinion that they are not interested in what they are saying and this leads to misunderstandings.

How to identify and understand such hidden injuries:

• • Asking the person are they feeling ok.
  • Encourage them to talk.
  • Take time to talk to the person
  • By informing ourselves about brain injury.

Meetings are held in Le Cheile Family Resource Centre, Tucker St, Castlebar - next meeting:

Monday; 18th July