Brain injuries
A brain injury can lead to wide-ranging effects. Some people will recover fully, but this isn’t always the case. The more severe the initial brain injury, the longer-term and more noticeable the effects are likely to be.
Brain injuries can cause behavioural and emotional changes, hormonal imbalances, difficulties with cognition and memory, communication problems, physical effects and fatigue.
Coping with brain injury
When a brain injury occurs, inevitably it is a time of great worry and distress not only for the injured person but also for their loved ones. Thoughts will turn to the future, and what that might look like. Is recovery going to be possible? Even if it is, will it be full recovery? Will the person be able to lead a normal life? How will we cope?
There is help and support available and Headway charity is a fantastic starting point. They have resources and guidance available for each step of the process of starting to come to terms with a brain injury, not just for the patient, but for their loved ones too.
Action for Brain Injury Week 2021
Action for Brain Injury Week is an annual national campaign to raise awareness of the impact of brain injury. The week is organised by Headway, a leading charity in the field of brain injury.
In 2021, the theme for the week is ‘A Life of Lockdown’. This year’s campaign aims to focus on the social isolation that can occur following a devastating brain injury and has doubtless been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Headway reports that the effects of brain injury, such as problems with memory, information processing or speech, compounded by a lack of understanding of brain injuries, can often leave survivors lacking in confidence to interact with society.
The aim of the Action for Brain Injury Week campaign is to give a voice to survivors and carers alike to help them better explain to friends and family the challenges they face as a result of a brain injury.
As well as this, the campaign will also have positive messages and tools to help people to make a difference. You can find out more about the campaign here.
Brain injury as a result of negligence
Sadly, brain injuries can occur as a result of medical negligence. For example, a brain injury could happen at birth, if there was a lack of oxygen to the brain as a result of a negligent delivery.
Sustaining a brain or head injury can have a serious effect on a person’s life. The person suffering from the head injury may be unable to lead a normal life in the future. They may also require rehabilitation support, permanent care and long-term financial support.
How can Nelsons help?
Danielle Young is a Senior Associate in our highly regarded Medical Negligence team.
At Nelsons, our team of specialist solicitors are highly experienced in these complex claims. We have an in-depth understanding of the needs of our clients with brain and head injuries. We have close contacts with medical and brain injury rehabilitation teams and have a strong track record of achieving substantial compensation for those with brain and head injuries.
We also have a long-standing relationship with Headway and are Headway Approved Solicitors. Nelsons work within the Headway Personal Injury Solicitors Code of Conduct, and we are assessed each year by Headway to ensure we have the required level of knowledge and expertise to deal with these specialist claims.
If you have any questions in relation to the topics discussed above, please contact Danielle or another member of our team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.