Brain Injury
A brain injury is a permanent injury to the brain tissue or nerve fibres. Generally, this injury affects each person differently. For example, one person may experience communication difficulties, while another may experience mobility difficulties. A brain injury is different to many other types of disabilities because it can be traumatic and occur suddenly.
Brain injury can be classified as mild, moderate or severe and can be known by many names such as:
- Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Head Injury
A brain injury can be sustained through:
- Accidents (road accidents, falls, assaults, sport accidents etc)
- Poisoning (drug and alcohol abuse, petrol sniffing etc)
- Stroke
- Brain tumors
- Infections (meningitis, encephalitis etc)
- A lack of oxygen supply to the brain
A brain injury may have effects on a person’s:
- Thinking abilities
- Physical abilities
- Sensory abilities
- Communication abilities
- Emotional functioning
Remember – each person is affected differently. You will need to meet with the prospective volunteer, and decide together whether they will be suitable for the job.
What You Can Do
Depending on the individual, there are a number of strategies which can be used to provide support for someone with a brain injury.
- Keep sentences short
- Make sure you don’t go too fast or provide too much information
- Try to avoid too much noise and other distractions while the person is learning
- Have regular breaks (about 10-15 minute breaks every 60-90 minutes is often a good guide)
- Be aware that fatigue can heighten the effects of a brain injury
- Demonstrate the task to the person a couple of times so they can watch and copy
- Be sure to ensure that people with speech impairments have a chance to fully express themselves
- Give the person a chance to comment
- Give information in plain language
- Provide follow up prompts (ask how the task is going; ask if they need any help, etc.)
People who have a brain injury have the right to be treated with the same respect as everybody else. Equally, you can expect to be treated with the same respect you demand from other people.