Frequently Asked Questions
What is a brain injury?
A Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is clinically defined as ‘damage to living brain tissue that is caused by an external or mechanical force’. TBI is not a degenerative disorder and can be seen as a chain of events which starts within the first minutes following the initial injury, and if speedy medical treatment is not available, further secondary damage to the brain can occur as a consequence of oxygen starvation or brain swelling caused by a blood clot.
Often referred to as “the hidden disability”, the effects of TBI are not necessarily visible or immediately apparent to the casual observer and many people who suffer TBI can make a good physical recovery. However, although those with TBI may look fit, there are many who are left with a complex of neurological and psychological impairments which have life-changing consequences for both the injured persons and their caring families.
How are these injuries caused?
Road traffic accidents - 40-50%
Domestic/industrial - 20-30%
Sports/recreational -10-15%
Assaults - 10%
What causes a brain injury?
An
‘acquired brain injury’ (ABI) is really a collective term which indicates
that the person was not born with a brain injury and any
later or current brain damage was
the result of:
• Accident
• Assault
• Fall
• Stroke
• Brain Tumour or Cyst
• Oxygen starvation of the brain (Anoxia) caused
by carbon monoxide poisoning, drowning or strangulation.
• Haemorrhage (internal
bleeding)
• Encephalitis or Meningitis (infections).
It is important to remember that no two brain injuries result in the same disabilities, but some of the more recognisable consequences of TBI are muscle stiffness down one side of the body, problems with balance, sight or speech difficulty. The ‘hidden’ disabilities can include difficulties of memory, lack of concentration, tiredness, loss of hearing and sense of smell, post-traumatic Epilepsy, mood swings, and a difficulty understanding new or complex information.
Those with severe TBI may also have an inability to organise their day-to-day activities, or/and may have unrealistic objectives or attitudes which make it difficult for them to predict or foresee the outcome of what they say or do.
Is there a cure for brain injury?
Those currently involved in neuroscience and the early evaluation and medical management of TBI are continually striving to improve the outcome of neurological damage, and as a result of these developments the number of people who survive TBI and go on to live a normal life span is increasing.
Advancements in pharmacology have also greatly improved the control of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and the disabling effects of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Nevertheless, despite these advances it would be unrealistic to claim that the consequences of damage to brain tissue can be ‘cured’ in the true sense of the word, and learning to adapt to a completely new situation can be the most challenging, but most worthwhile, objective for the individuals concerned and those living and caring for them.
What about the Family?
Although accidental brain injury is a major crisis for the individual victim, the 'ripple effect' on the physical and psychological wellbeing of their family members is often obscured - or even denied by the relatives themselves in order to hold back their emotions of panic and despair.
Throughout the stages of adaptation that have to take place within a family where TBI has occurred, role changes become inevitable and the family structure undergoes massive change. Where couples are living together in a stable relationship, the woman will often have to take on the tasks that were previously done by the man in the house.
Parents, who have safely brought their children through childhood and adolescence, will have to start the caring process all over again when a young son or daughter with TBI returns to the family home to be cared for, and it often happens that youngsters in a family have to become the carers of their head injured parent.
There are also major financial consequences attached to TBI, particularly where the injured person has been the sole wage earner.
Although compensation awards for TBI have increased in number over recent years, those who are successful are greatly outnumbered by individuals and their families who will have to rely entirely on Social Security Benefits.
In many cases the uninjured partner will be forced to seek full or part-time paid employment, and this necessity creates a new problem - where can the head injured family member go during the day time? Across each of the above situations, the staff and volunteers at Head Forward Centre can offer practical advice, individual counselling, and a caring environment in which those with TBI can spend some part of the week in purposeful and creative activities.
Legal services
Although in recent years there has been a big increase in the number of solicitors dealing with 'personal injury' claims, when it comes to seeking compensation for head injury we would always recommend choosing a firm of solicitors with a proven record of experience in this specialist field. Headway, the brain injury association, (phone: 0808 8002244) produces a list of solicitors with expertise in head injury litigation and it is always advisable to seek advice because the consequences of traumatic brain injury often linger for a life-time.