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You help a lot, even when you help a little. |
Life after Brain Injury
How to rebuild one’s identity
Patsy Sholders, a survivor and President of the Foundation, was the speaker for the May General Meeting. Her topic, Life After Brain Injury, was based on her masters thesis from California State University, San Marcos. She interviewed many survivors as part of her research. All reported changed lives as the result of their brain injuries.
“Of
all the things we’ve lost in life, we miss our memories the most.” This is a
comment from one of the survivors interviewed by Patsy. Nearly all said they
lost short-term memory and the capacity to do multiple tasks. Frustration,
disappointment, loss of credibility, misunderstandings, feelings of uselessness,
and depression and denial were also common symptoms. All hated going from a life
of independence to dependence.
At least initially, many survivors report they feel like “damaged goods.” Unfortunately, survivors may face the stigma of politely, or not so politely, being ignored. One survivor said, “Being a disabled person in America is about as close to being invisible as you can get.” Increasing the public’s understanding and awareness of brain injury is very important. Patsy reminded the group, “Brain injuries are not contagious.”
According to her research, some survivors reach a point where they say, “I’m not going to get any better than this.” While this may signal a survivor losing hope, it may also signal a survivor’s readiness to embrace a new identity. One survivor said, “My old life is dead. I’ve got a new and better life now. I’m working as hard as I can in the trenches. I just wish I had a bigger shovel.”
Support groups and classes for the brain-injured such as ABI (acquired brain injury) programs at Mesa College and Palomar College provide survivors with the tools needed to succeed in daily life. Here, people with common circumstances can learn to help each other. Survivors are often very creative at learning to cope with loss of short-term memory by using “exterior brains” such as Post-Its, notebooks and computing devices. “I’ve got Post-Its on my mirror, my refrigerator, all over my house,” reported one survivor.
Patsy concluded her presentation by reminding survivors not to give up, to be creative, to keep moving, and to exercise regularly.
