In Hospital
Learning about brain injury is not easy, especially if your loved one has recently received their diagnosis. There is likely a lot you don’t know and are unfamiliar with. We suggest that you read through this page when you are in a good place, as it may be upsetting. When you are ready, we hope you can link in with the information provided at any given time, depending on what is useful for you.
The Ripple Effect
An acquired brain injury comes out of the blue and there can be a ripple effect on different areas of your life. The first feelings are often shock, denial, anger or frustration. These are all normal responses. For some people, it feels like a “Tsunami” event that impacts the family emotionally, socially and financially, as well as affecting children. There can be a profound sense of loss and grief.
To balance this, families also speak of their positive experiences. They describe how they have become stronger and better people than before the impact of brain injury.
In this video, Psychologist Dr Eddie Murphy discusses the ripple effect of an acquired brain injury on families.
We have developed a
Guide Book for Carers
The Guide Book is intended to be a practical tool to help you understand what you are experiencing and give you advice on how to help your loved one, while also looking after yourself.
Empowering families to input and ask questions in hospital
When your loved one is in hospital, it’s important to realise that you, as their family, are key members of the team. The staff will not have known your family member prior to their injury, so the information you provide can be extremely useful – from providing medical history to giving details on their likes and dislikes. Your input to their care and rehabilitation in the weeks and months after their injury is vital.
Supporting you as a family to ask questions and have your voice heard will lead to better outcomes for your loved one, their overall safety, and eventual good quality of care when they return home.
In this video, Social Worker and brain injury Case Manager Dr Mark Holloway discusses just how vital families are for their loved one’s recovery journey, and how they sometimes know more than professionals.
Meetings with staff in hospital
It is normal to have family meetings in the hospital so that staff can get to know the family situation, set treatment goals, update you on progress, and plan for a return to the community. The hospital discharge plan will start at the earliest possible time, and this is normal too. There are many arrangements to be made well in advance of your loved one’s discharge date, such as adaptations to your home or referral to local community services.
It is usually better to request a meeting with the hospital team in advance, rather than trying to grab the attention of a nurse or doctor during your visit when the time may not be convenient. It is helpful to have another family member with you at the meeting as it can be hard to retain information, especially when the information is given in a complicated way or if there are several members of the hospital team present.
If you don’t understand what is said or if it seems too complicated, ask for the information to be explained again. If you are still confused, say so. Staff will be very happy to explain. It is important for them to get their message across to you clearly and to ensure that you understand what is being asked of you, as a family. Your understanding at this stage will contribute to the better recovery and wellbeing of your family member when they leave hospital.
The National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) has produced a helpful guide to preparing for Patient and Family Meetings.
Planning for your family member to go home
If you or your family member needs support after hospital, such as home help, hospital staff will endeavour to ensure these are in place before discharge. If your home needs to be adapted, the hospital Occupational Therapist will help you to apply for any relevant grants or a loan. Be aware that there may be a delay in getting these. A referral will be made by the hospital to the local community Occupational Therapist for additional support.
If enough supports are not in place for your loved one to return immediately home from hospital, the team may recommend they are transferred to a nursing care facility, even for a while. This can be a difficult discussion for everyone involved.
In some areas of Ireland, there will be an Acquired Brain Injury Ireland Case Manager who will be part of the discharge planning process. Ideally, they will be your link between the hospital and any services you require in the community. They will also support you in managing the care of your loved one.
Before your loved one is discharged, the hospital team and family will have discussed the level of support you will receive at home. The items that may be addressed in the hospital include:
- A referral to HSE Disability Services (Adult Physical and Sensory Disability Team)
- A referral to HSE Home Support Services and a support package put in place before discharge
- The potential for seizure activity after an acquired brain injury. This can be further explained to you by the hospital team
- Social welfare entitlements you or your loved one may apply for, such as carers allowance or disability allowance
- A referral to your Public Health Nurse if required, for example if your loved one requires a hospital bed in their home, incontinence wear, or for a wound site to be treated
- A letter to your family member’s GP
- A referral to Acquired Brain Injury Ireland services, if deemed appropriate
- Other appropriate referrals such as to the NRH, a local rehabilitation hospital, or other service providers like Headway
We have included a list of other community-based organisations that may support people with an acquired brain injury on our Useful Resources page.
On With Life Programme
for Families and Carers
If you and your loved one have been recently impacted by an acquired brain injury, you may find our Brain Aware training guide useful. Created by our On With Life Programme team, this short document explains how the brain works and what happens when it is injured.
The transition home: Supporting you as a Carer
Despite the initial shock and busy time associated with life after a brain injury, the hospital can be a comforting place where you know your loved one is well cared for. Facing home, on the other hand, is an unknown quantity and can be daunting. But a gradual transition home for your family member, where possible, is the best approach.
As you prepare for the transition from hospital to home, we encourage you to watch this video with Dr Brian McClean, Principal Clinical Psychologist at Acquired Brain Injury Ireland. His talk will help you understand the brain, and what recovery, resilience and reconfiguration means for family members and carers. We hope his presentation will give you confidence, skills and building blocks to support you in the early stages of hospital discharge and into the future, ensuring you cope as well as you possibly can.
Applying for services and supports
Many people don’t think of themselves as ‘carers’. However, if you are the main person who will be supporting your family member in your home or their home, you may be entitled to some Social Welfare benefits, such as paid leave from work so that you can be at home. Citizens Information provide more detail about Carers’ benefits and allowances on their website here.
All Irish residents are also entitled to apply for HSE services such as the Public Health Nurse, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Speech and Language Therapy. To do so you can phone the HSE National Information Line: 1850 24 1850.
If you need a break from caring, ask the GP, Public Health Nurse or HSE Disability Manager in your area for support. They may be able to help you access respite care for your relative. The HSE provides some information about its supports for Carers on its website, here.
Starting these applications while your loved one is in hospital will save time afterwards and speed up the process of the application.
Accessing our Services
We provide a range of supports to brain injury survivors between the ages of 18 and 65. We accept referrals to our services from GPs and other healthcare professionals, including other community-based disability organisations.
