A traumatic experience, such as a family member suffering serious injuries in a car accident, can bring a family closer together and they may appreciate each other more. But taking care of an injured family member takes dedication and resiliency.
Reactions
Family members providing care to a person who was involved in a serious personal injury accident undergo different experiences and need to take steps to deal with their new situation.
Caregivers may feel that their preaccident life is over and that they have to be with the injured person at all times. Caregivers often experience fatigue, frustration, loss of patience and the inability to provide attention to their children or other family members.
Care tips
Family members must remember their own well-being while caring for a seriously injured family member. There are several measures that can help with caring for the family member and themselves.
It is important to continue with your social life as much as possible. This helps restore them and fights burnout. Knowing their limits can assure that they remain physically and mentally healthy.
Know as much as possible about the family member’s injury and care. Use any online research as a basis for discussions with medical providers.
They should establish trust and communication with the injured family member. They will want to reply calmly, express compassion and empathy when needed, keep eye contact, and discuss other matters besides their injury or health. They should stay patient and take breaks when a time-out is needed, or things become frustrating.
It is important to remember that other family members also have needs. Children require stability and structure, and adults also have schedules.
Injured family members are entitled to confidentiality. They should honor requests to keep matters confidential unless it jeopardizes their care. Because of laws and professional standards, medical providers will restrict information they provide to caregivers unless it is needed for the plan of care.
The injured person should be encouraged to be as independent as they can. They may become more confident if they do more things for themselves. People who are engaged in their own care are more likely to research information and use it to be healthier, according to studies.
Finally, caregivers should trust their instincts. They can seek out medical advice if they believe that there is insufficient progress with recovery or there are changes to the injured person’s mental or physical health.
Getting assistance
Other family members should also be involved in their care. This provides a break for the primary caregiver. It also assures that another person also knows about the timing of medications, healthcare appointments, bathing, and other care duties.
Local social services may be available. These can provide assistance such as transportation, home healthcare and meal delivery. Insurance may cover some of their costs or these services may be subsidized.
Care can be extremely costly. Attorneys can assist accident victims to seek compensation for their care and other losses.
