Commonly occurring circumstances that affect relationships:

It is equally important to establish that the pendulum swings in both directions and make mention of other commonly occurring situations that affect relationships. We can wear ourselves out trying to figure out or fix “things.” Or we can accept that “some things will never make sense” and “there is not always a fix.”

Some of those “things” regarding brain injury are:

Some survivors stunt their recovery due to their own attitudes and behaviors, despite the outstanding family/care-giver support and professional services available to them.

Some survivors never receive any family support; other survivors are abandoned through no fault of their own.

Some family/care-givers stunt the recovery of their loved one by over-protecting or doing too much for the survivor.

Some family/care-givers devote their life to care for the survivor, either lovingly or resentfully. Sometimes their devotion is warranted, other times not.

Some family/care-givers mistreat the survivor, and vice-versa…some survivors are abusive to family/care-givers and professionals.

Some friendships survive brain injury, most don’t. The survivor can’t keep up with the swift pace, nor tolerate the environments of their previous social life. Even friends who are sympathetic to their survivor friend fade away.

Some therapists and doctors miss the mark when treating brain injury due to their lack of knowledge or understanding. Other’s offer the best care and advice they can…based on the accuracy of the information provided to them. Survivors need assistance in keeping and reporting accurate feed back to doctors. It is not uncommon for survivors to report how their month went, based entirely on the day previous to their appointment.