The survivor’s (and family’s) life is thrown into a whirlpool of strange words: coma, tracheotomy, bladder catheter, intracranial pressure screw, local or diffuse brain-injury, cognitive impairment, speech impairment. Then more confusing words like rehabilitation, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, neurophysiologist, care-givers and so on and so forth.

Advertisement

Only then, reality sinks in and the brain-injured person and his/her family must make serious adjustments in terms of their lifestyle. A brain injury does not affect only the survivor. The disability and the consequences thereof influence the entire family. The brain-injured person is stressed and this is often aggravated by depression. This person may also have to deal with other conditions like epilepsy.

He/she may need a full-time caregiver. He/she may not be able to work anymore and find it difficult to acquire new skills. Bills need to be paid. The family’s income shrinks drastically. Add to this a possible change in personality, depression and a low self esteem and it is plain to see that brain injury has far-reaching consequences – much more than a mere physical blow to the head.

The brain-injured person and his/her family can rebuild their lives. Support from family and friends play a very important role. It is also important for the people who are affected by such a brain injury to “arm” themselves with information. Then one can foresee that the approximately 140 000 people who annually sustain brain injuries in South Africa could re-integrate as productive members of society, albeit in a manner different from pre-brain injury.

Brain Injury Group
The Brain Injury Group (BIG) is a social profit support organisation and it exists to offer support to the brain-injured community. Its formal aim is to better the quality of life of the brain-injured community. This support is provided in terms of support groups, information or just someone to talk to.

To belong to a support group, or BIGCircle as we call them, can help tremendously with the rehabilitation process. It is there where experiences are shared and new friendships are formed.

BIG launched a club for individual brain-injured members; this means that the individual brain-injured person forms part of the bigger BIGCircle community. Please visit BIG’s website for an application form. BIGCircle members can enter an exiting competition before the end of March 2007!

It is also BIG’s responsibility to create awareness of the brain-injured community. Awareness creates a familiarity and demystifies the condition. This in turn, helps the brain-injured person with his/her rehabilitation and re-integration into society.

If you want to join the club or a BIGCircle, please contact the office at 0867 222 100 or info@brainweb.org.za. You can also visit BIG's website at www.brainweb.org.za for more information.

If you want to contribute to BIG’s work, either by means of volunteering or financially, you will find all the information on brainweb!
 

Print this article

Rate this article Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent

JOBS

Senior Secretary Gauteng - North/Sandton Infrastructure Resource Gauteng - Johannesburg Management Accountant R450,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Manager R350,000-400,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial and Project Accountant R300,000-360,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Accountant R380,000-420,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg SSIS Business Intelligence Specialists (SSIS; SSAS) R350,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - North/Sandton Financial Accountant R350,000-450,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - South Find more jobs Register your CV Post a job