Five traits you need as the caregiver of someone with a brain injury

When a loved one goes through a brain injury it can be a completely life changing event, not just for them, but for their loved ones too.

Everyone will experience all manner of trauma and challenges, while decisions will need to be made on the type of treatment and rehabilitation they require. Often that might mean admittance into an acquired injury care home, where they can receive expert care and the attention they need to tackle rehabilitation effectively. In other cases, it may be that a family member can take on the role as caregiver and, with the aid of professional help, get their loved one’s life back on track.

However, the role of a caregiver isn’t easy, particularly for incidents of brain injury, where every case is different and there can often be a long road to recovery. But what exactly does it take to become a caregiver in such instances? Well, there are several key traits that are required…

Empathy

First and foremost it’s incredibly important to show empathy. It’s an important trait in everyday life and especially when caring for someone that is going through a troubling time. It isn’t an easy trait to learn if it isn’t natural to you, but it can be done and by showing it you’ll develop a much stronger connection between you and your loved one. 

During their recovery, the person you’re caring for will go through a range of emotions from frustration to anger, sadness to exhaustion and with every emotion you need to provide comfort and reassurance.  

Patience

Another key trait required is patience. This really isn’t easy, particularly as recovery from a brain injury can be a slow and unpredictable process. 

However, if you don’t show patience and get frustrated by slow progress or particular incidents then that’s only going to cause frustration within them as well and set back progress. 

A lack of patience can be really unproductive and produce friction in relationships that may affect relationships in the long term. By showing patience, you’re displaying a supportive attitude that will provide them with the confidence to navigate their recovery at their own pace. 

Flexibility

While it’s important to track progress and have a schedule and routine in place, things can change and people will need to progress at a rate that may change. Being flexible to situations as a caregiver is so important. 

It’s important to provide as much flexibility as possible with the person you’re caring for, and being flexible allows you to adapt to what they need, empowering them to take on more responsibility when they can, but also provide comfort when they can’t. 

Resilience

Caregiving can be a really difficult role, and while it is important to look after loved ones, your own wellbeing is vitally important too. 

There are going to be difficult moments for you, moments when you want to give up or seek help. But that’s ok. The important thing is to seek help and also bounce back from such situations.

You need to find ways to cope with the stress of caregiving in a healthy way and ensure that you are fully equipped to care for them and manage your own health and wellbeing. 

Advocacy

Finally, you need to understand how to be an advocate for the person you are caring for. After a brain injury a person needs a lot of help and support and you need to be able to be their voice and look after their best interests and champion their needs. 

It may be providing them with access to rehabilitation or education, helping them find specialised accommodation or anything else they need. By doing this, not only does it provide them with the help they need, it can create strong bonds and really empower and encourage the person you’re caring for in their recovery.