How do you cope when someone you love survives a brain injury and they will never be the person they once were?

1 Answer

Answer :

This has to be extremely difficult. A major brain injury has to be devastating to the family. Part of what we love about being with the person might be taken away. I think it really depends on what exactly the injury is. I assume between already having an existing love for the person, committment, and a bit of, there but for the grace of God go I, we cope and hang in. But, I do think the caretakers often suffer in silence. Feeling unable to complain, or even make a new life. I would think one way to cope is to be able to tell someone the disappointments and difficulties of caring for that person. I guess on rare occassion there are personality changes or some sort of silver lining that has some positives, but I doubt that happens in a big enough way that it makes up for the loss. At least not very often. Again it would depend on the injury, which part of the brain was affected. Did the injury cause a physical loss, a personality change, and inability to care for oneself?

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