My brain injury

An acquired brain injury (or ABI) is an umbrella term for all injuries to the brain that occur at the earliest 6 months after birth.  

The term ‘acquired brain injury’ refers to the cause of the ABI:

• the brain injury can be the result of an external cause, such as a traffic accident or a fall down the stairs. This is called a traumatic brain injury.
• the damage can also occur because something  goes wrong inside the brain, for example a blood vessel ruptures or a clot gets stuck in the brain's bloodstream (causing a stroke). This is called a non-traumatic brain injury.

The term ‘acquired brain injury’ says little about the nature and severity of the consequences

• body functions, e.g. you may suffer a loss of strength in your limbs or experience difficulties swallowing.
• activities, e.g. you may have communication difficulties or the ABI may affect your mobility.
• participation, e.g. it might be harder for you to combine different roles (such as employer, partner and friend). 
• personal factors, e.g. how do you cope with the (impact of the) ABI. 
• or the support you need, e.g. you might need a low-stimulus work space or your close family members may take over some of your household duties.

A brain injury often disrupts the course of your life. Because of that disruption, your life has changed and there is a time before and a time after the brain injury.

💁Find out more: acquired brain injury

Een hersenletsel leidt vaak tot een breuk in de levenslijn. Door die breuk is je leven veranderd en is er een tijd van voor en een tijd van na het hersenletsel.

💁 Meer weten?

• Bekijk informatie over de patiëntenvereniging: Hersenletsel Liga
• Bekijk informatie over een niet-aangeboren hersenletsel: Vlaams Agentschap voor Personen met Handicap

Every brain injury is different and the consequences are different for each person.

You  may experience:

• physical effects, such as loss of strength in your limbs or swallowing difficulties.
• sensory consequences, such as loss of visual acuity or hearing impairments.
• communication consequences, such as problems expressing yourself or understanding spoken and written language.
• cognitive consequences, such as slower thinking or problems with planning and organisation.
• behavioural consequences, such as lacking initiative or being hyperactive.
• social consequences, such as feeling socially isolated.
• or a combination of these consequences which impacts your everyday functioning.

These consequences may result in other support needs. 

⚠️You might notice some consequences early and others later.

The consequences of a brain injury can also be broken down as follows:

• visible consequences, such as difficulty walking, balance problems, being partially paralysed.
• invisible (or less visible) consequences, such as fatigue, having trouble concentrating, forgetting appointments more easily, having trouble planning things or reacting differently (more/less emotionally) to certain situations.

🚧 Challenge: these consequences can impact your ability to function in all kinds of professions.

You may find it hard to work out which work tasks are still feasible.

It may be hard for your employer to correctly deal with the consequences of your brain injury.

Moreover, the invisible consequences are often insufficiently recognised.  

💪Opportunity: you will need to find a new balance between what you can do and what you want/need to do.  

A brain injury has an impact on you, as a person , but also on your social environment .

After the shock of a sudden stroke or accident, hospitalisation follows. This is often an uncertain period: which consequences are temporary and which ones are permanent? It takes time to get an accurate picture of your capacities and challenges.

After rehabilitation, you can return home. What follows is a (long) process of adapting to new possibilities and finding the right balance. It is a quest for you, but also for people living with you.

No.

Just as every person is different, every brain injury is different and therefore the consequences of each brain injury are also different.

Depending on

• the severity, location and extent of the brain injury, the consequences will differ for everyone (mild, moderate or severe). Moreover, not every person faces all the consequences. 
  • For example, you might be in a wheelchair and communicate fluently, while another person with brain injury can walk independently, but needs more time to perform certain tasks.
• personal factors, such as age, the consequences can have a different impact.
  • For example, the impact of a brain injury is different for a young person with young children compared to an older person who has a partner that needs care.
• your employment, meaning the task demands and working environment, the consequences can have a different impact.
  • For example, it can be easier for you to fulfil routine tasks compared to performing new tasks under time pressure.

🚧 Challenge: often, you may have difficulty coming to terms with change.

You will need time and repetition to master (new) tasks.

You can use tools to compensate for the consequences, such as

• using a paper diary or a calendar in your mobile phone to make sure you arrive at an appointment on time.
• using checklists/Post-it notes to make sure you do not forget any tasks.
• putting things in a fixed place to make sure you find your way smoothly. 

🚧 Challenge: it may be difficult to realise exactly what the consequences are:

• What is going well?
• What could you do better or differently?

💪Opportunity: be open to feedback or ask for help if you can't figure it out yourself.

💡 Tips & tricks: the people in your social environment also need time to discover your new 'me'. Allow them that time.