For many victims of traumatic brain injuries in Louisiana, learning to cope with their new limitations can be overwhelming, difficult and at times, discouraging. Often, a victim’s family members play a critical role in facilitating their loved one’s recovery and helping him or her to relearn certain skills and embrace the newfound boundaries that are unique to his or her condition.
One of the most difficult skills to reacquire involves memory and being able to understand and remember information that is heard. According to mayo.edu, there are several ways that family members can support a TBI victim who is working towards strengthening cognitive capacity. Some of the things they can do include the following:
- They can use repetition to reiterate important information and to clarify the person’s understanding. Additionally, they can ask the person to repeat back what he or she heard to help him or her remember what was said.
- They can keep instructions simple and straightforward. They can achieve this by presenting ideas in an organized manner, one step at a time.
- They can use general language and omit words that may cause confusion or add unnecessary detail.
The Huffington Posts suggests some other ways that family members can support a TBI victim including providing assistance with rides, house cleaning, cooking, and child care. They can also plan activities that are centered around the person’s hobbies or interests to provide a positive outlet to encourage creativity and happiness. It is imperative that people remember that victims of traumatic brain injuries will react to situations differently as no two brain injuries are the same.
