How to Prepare a Child for a Parent’s Traumatic Brain Injury
Randy Rozek • January 24, 2014
From speaking with a traumatic brain injury attorney to creating a plan to deal with the financial implications of such an injury, life can be overwhelming for anyone after a brain injury. With all of the major decisions that must be made, it can be easy to forget that a parent’s brain injury can have a huge impact on his or her child.
How do you go about explaining to a child that his or her mother or father will have certain challenges that the child might not understand—or that the parent might even seem like a completely different person following the injury? Here are some tips:
- Take some time to explain how the brain works and how important it is in terms the child can understand. The amount of information you give will vary based on the age and maturity level of the child. For younger children, you might try explaining that the brain is what helps us know how to do things and that when the brain is hurt, it’s hard to remember how we did it before.
- Explain that a hurt brain isn’t like a cut—it takes a long time to get better. In fact, sometimes it doesn’t ever get completely better. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still love the person and care for them.
- Prepare the child for what he or she will see or experience. If the parent is still in the hospital, be forthcoming about any bandages, machines, tubing, or visible injuries the child might see. It is far better to be truthful about the severity than to downplay the situation and shock the child when he or she does see the parent.
- Allow the child to talk about his or her feelings. We often underestimate a child’s ability to understand a situation. We might undervalue any emotions because we don’t think the child can understand. It’s ok for the child to be angry, fearful, or otherwise upset, and he or she needs to know that. Be as supportive as possible—his or her world has just been turned upside down.
If you need a traumatic brain injury attorney in Milwaukee to help you through the legal process, contact us here at Rozek Law.
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