their family member has a brain injury as
they are often caught between grieving
for the loved one they have lost and
learning to love the person they are now.
For the person who has suffered the
injury the documentary showed that they
may not be aware of these changes, no
matter how significant they are. When
talking to Amanda and her husband Rob,
3 days after Amanda had returned to
the family home, Louis asked whether
she felt that she had changed or had
any form of brain injury. Amanda’s
answer, simply no. When asked for his
perspective, Rob didn’t agree and you
even saw Amanda shake her head, like
she knew what was coming. It was said
that she had lost her “squishy” side, and
what became obvious throughout the
programme was that it was this change
that was the most emotionally disruptive
and hard to grasp for them both, not to
mention their two young children.
understandable and one that all of the
people featured seem to share to one
extent or another. Yet, once again,
providing this independence (if possible
and viable for the patient) costs money
and time but not having it appeared to
cause more tension and issues than any
other aspect of the brain injury for some
of those featured.
In all, the documentary was exactly what
you would hope for and expect of a
Louis Theroux documentary. It was well
presented, well thought out and it made
you really grateful for the life you live, as
well asking yourself what would you do
in such a situation.
Of course, not all brain injuries occur
after a person has become an adult
and nor are they all the result of an
unfortunate accident (as appeared to be
the case for those in the documentary).
Some people suffer such injuries at birth
through complications or as a result of
other people’s negligence, and for them
and their families the road may be similar
yet, at times, very different.
By Jenny Crocker
What was striking throughout
the documentary though was the
unconditional love still held by the
parent or partner for their changed
family member. Despite having to deal
with the, at times, extreme changes in
their behaviour, the perhaps increased
burden on their day to day life and the
distressing idea that they may be caring
for them for the rest of their lives, the
families still loved them, still cared for
them and still wanted them.
Let’s not forget that these changes to
these lives can also cost money. Care,
equipment, moving to a more suitable
property or just funding their more
expensive tastes all cost money that
some families may not have. For some of
the necessary costs help can be sought
from charities such as the Brain Injury
Rehabilitation Trust and Headway (a
similar charity that works to improve lives
after brain injury), but others will not be
funded in this way and this can have a
real impact on a family’s expenses and
income.
But not every person with a brain
injury wants to be cared for for the
rest of their life. One of the subjects
in the documentary, Dan, expressed
towards the end of the programme
that he wanted to “get out” of the
rehabilitation unit. His talk with Louis
away from the doctor was bordering on
deeply distressing. For someone with a
brain injury that was said to impair his
judgement, he made a well reasoned
argument to prove himself and you
couldn’t help but hope that one day he
may be able to do so.
This strive for independence is
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