When someone suffers an acquired brain injury it has an impact, not just on themselves, but also on the wider circle of their family and friends. The ripple effects can be felt especially keenly by loved ones and those who find themselves taking on a caring role. Not only as an onlooker, witnessing how difficult it can be for the person who has suffered the injury but on a practical level, learning how best to support them.
A life event like this comes without warning and certainly doesn’t come with a list of instructions of how best to navigate it. Learning where to go for guidance and knowing how and what to expect from health and financial services can be difficult. Along with that comes a whole raft of emotions.
Headway Essex recognises how important it is to help carers and relatives with practical and emotional support. Often the best source of support is other carers in a similar situation to yourself. We hold carers support group meetings and one-to-one support for carers. These services are particularly helpful as they provide peer support from others in similar situations.
By listening to carers, we developed a programme of workshops called ‘Don’t Forget About Me’ which were specifically aimed at supporting the carer. Thanks to generous funding from Essex County Council we have been able to build on our 2024 series of workshops and are running a further series in 2025 in Colchester and Benfleet.
The workshops provide tools and strategies to promote independence for the cared for, alleviate the burden on the carer, help the carer manage stress, avoid burnout, and maintain their own well-being.
Over the course of five-consecutive weekly sessions, the programme covers:
• Looking at the physical, emotional and cognitive changes involved in supporting a loved one. How that can make the carer feel and how to manage these changes.
• Changes in roles, relationships and responsibilities for the carer and relative with the brain injury; and how this can have knock on effect on the carer, other family members and friends.
• Looking at the functioning of the brain and some of the effects of acquired brain injury (ABI); some of the clinical terms used and sharing experiences and coping skills.
• Advice and presentations from relevant experts in the field of brain injury care and social care.
Quotes from carers who attended previous sessions:
“Loved these few weeks, I felt able to talk freely, in confidence with others who knew my situation, understand our difficulties, stress, emotional burnout, and I feel I can express my darkest days and know everyone will listen, support and encourage me to keep going.”
“Initially I was not sure if I needed this programme. I’m so grateful that I did. Being in a very safe and confidential space to share and learn from our experiences made quite a difference to my mental health at the time. The bond between us all was cemented very quickly. Content was interesting and challenging and delivered with empathy and understanding. I think we all, staff and carers, were very sad when the course ended, for me it had become a bit of a lifeline.”
If you would like to learn more about how we can support carers or about the workshops and support group please contact us for more information.
abisupport@headwayessex.org.uk
Telephone 01206 845945 Option 1
