Dedication of Carers Helping Head Injury Victims
The Universe
(July 20, 2003)
SOME of the most patient dedicated workers and volunteers in the world have to be those who help people who suffer a head injury.
It is a very common kind of injury and – in Britain alone about 20 people are admitted to hospital with a head injury every hour. Fortunately most are minor and victims are soon back in good health. But those who suffer more severe trauma have a long term struggle to recover in hospital or in rehabilitation.
I had a moving experience recently when visiting the newly-opened premises of Headway Oxford where many patients come for recovery and long term help. These are shared premises in the Good Shepherd Hall of the Catholic Community. It is a beautiful arrangement whereby the worshipping community shares the building and the sick are welcomed for healing and love and care.
About 90 per cent of people with severe head injuries make a good recovery, although there can be problems with physical activities and even speech. There is much therapy and assistance available to help the patient recover these facilities. Yet sadly 10 per cent are left with severe forms of physical disability. One of the most frustrating is speech impairment.
While visiting the Headway Oxford I was shown around by my sister Sheila Sargeant, the senior coordinator who, with many helpers and volunteers, has dedicated herself to providing the long-term care and help that the head injured need after they have left hospital.
Her commitment grew out of the experience of seeing her own son suffer a severe head injury in a motorbike accident. After the best possible hospital treatment he recovered fully with the help of the therapies and care of Headway.
The visit left a deep impression on me. The beautiful art, crafts and poetry of the recovering people is a witness to the power of patience and love and the affirmation and encouragement that empowers them to slowly emerge from their severe disability and express themselves. They find a quality of life that they and their relatives at first believed was forever lost.
The walls are covered with the paintings and the creations of these brave and courageous people struggling to function as fully articulate human beings. Pauline expresses that struggle most powerfully in her poem Frustration.
"The words are
in my mouth, but nobody can hear
I open my mouth, the words stretch, But nobody can hear.
I know what I want to say, But nobody can hear.
Then I said, "forget it", that was clear.
But not what I wanted to say.
The art and crafts, computer training, the sense of belonging to a creative and caring community are what give victims the encouragement to overcome their disability. The center also gives help to their families, giving them courage and inspiration to cope with the responsibilities that come with caring for an injured person at home.
All of us are challenged by the devastation caused by head injuries and they remind is to prevent them happening to children. I suddenly became more aware of the many cyclists and motorcycles traveling at speed without wearing a protective helmet. Children are the most vulnerable and should never be allowed out on a bike without a helmet.
There are all too few Headway centres available to the injured and many depending on donations and charity. This is a great cause that we all need to support in every way.
