When a friend or loved one suffers a brain injury, it is naturally an incredibly traumatic time for them. But at the same time, it can be difficult for you too. While we can often feel guilty about thinking how such events affect ourselves, you’re going to need to provide support to your friend as well as dealing with the emotions that seeing someone you love suffering unlocks.

It isn’t easy, but acknowledging your own feelings can be an important first step in finding the clarity to provide support for your friend.

Acquired brain injuries can come in all shapes and sizes and if a friend has been in an accident which they need support, here are five top tips to ensure you support as best you can…

Educate Yourself

Firstly, a good place to start is with education. By learning about the specific type of injury they’ve sustained, its effects and the long-term prognosis, you can get a full sense of the situation and it will become less daunting. You’ll understand the challenges they may face and you can be more effective in how you offer support and empathy to them.

Be Patient and Understanding

Patience is such a huge part of supporting your friend. They will likely find it a frustrating and overwhelming experience having to effectively rebuild their brain and living with the physical, cognitive and emotional changes the injury has caused.

By understanding and recognising that certain tasks may not be as routine for them as they once were will relieve stress in them, as well as taking the pressure off “getting back to normal”, when really they need to be developing at their own pace.

Listen and Validate Their Feelings

Emotional support is also a big part of recovery. Both you and they will experience a range of emotions from sadness to anger, anxiety to frustration and it’s really important to create a safe and supportive space for them to express such emotions.

They need to be able to talk without the fear of judgement and you should be active in how you respond, validating their emotions and offering reassurance where necessary. Having that person to talk to can be such an important part of recovery. Be that person.

Offer Practical Support

As we’ve mentioned, many routine tasks may not be as routine as they once were, so providing assistance with them can really take a weight off a friend’s mind, ease stress and allow them to focus on recovery. Just picking up some everyday tasks can make all the difference, from doing the shopping, to cooking a few times a week or doing household chores.

As a group of friends, you can cover off an awful lot of tasks with minimal effort, but it will make such a huge difference to them.

Encourage Engagement in Rehabilitation

Finally, an acquired brain injury support clinic will likely play a key part in a friend’s recovery, so encourage your friend to actively participate and look to pick them up when perhaps progress hasn’t quite been as big as they would have liked.

Offer to accompany them to appointments, provide transportation to sessions and provide that encouragement they need to throw themselves into the various therapy sessions and medical appointments they’ll need to take part in to maximise their recovery.

All are relatively simple steps or tips but can be absolutely invaluable not only for your friend, but also in helping you manage the situation in a more effective manner for your own mental health and emotional wellbeing.