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Caring for someone with a brain injury

This section is for the carers and family members of someone with a brain injury. If you are caring for someone with a brain injury, or have a loved one being treated in hospital, then the information below should help you to cope with the impact of the injury, learn more about your role as a carer, and find support.

Our free-to-download publication Caring for someone with a brain injury also provides extensive information for carers of a brain injury survivor, and is also available to order as a printed booklet. Visit our Information Library to download the publication, or contact our nurse-led helpline to order the printed booklet, which is available free-of-charge to brain injury survivors and their carers.
Read on and explore our sections below to find out more about caring after brain injury and how Headway can help.

What is a carer?

A carer is anyone who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of an illness or disability, and is not paid for doing so.

After a brain injury, it is often spouses/partners who take on caring roles, but this can also be parents and other family members.

Carers often assist brain injury survivors with activities such as washing or dressing themselves, staying safe, managing day-to-day activities and feeling emotionally supported.

Carers may be involved in more complex tasks such as administering medication, making decisions on the survivor’s behalf (if the survivor lacks capacity to do so themselves), helping the survivor to apply for welfare benefits or liaising with other services.

Carers might need to also take on additional household tasks that the survivor might have been responsible for before the injury – such as managing bills, grocery shopping, or driving.

Carers often need to manage their caring responsibilities around other aspects of life such as work, socialising, caring for other dependents and looking after their own well-being. Finding the balance between these aspects of life and their caring role can be difficult.

A photo of a family including a brain injury survivor and his wife/carer. Quote from carer of brain injury survivor: Helping to settle him back at home was possibly the biggest and most unexpected challenge."

How are carers affected by brain injury?

Brain injury doesn't just affect individuals; it can transform the lives of entire families. This is often referred to as the ‘ripple effect’ of brain injury.

Carers often have to make considerable changes to the way they live, such as spending less time with friends or reducing working hours. These changes can be difficult to adjust to. They can also affect the carer’s sense of identity and personal life goals.

Some of the ways in which life can be affected for carers include:

  • Changes to their lifestyle;
  • Changes to their relationship with the brain injury survivor as well as others in their life such as friends and relatives;
  • Changes in their employment status;
  • Changes in their financial stability;
  • Changes to their life goals;
  • Changes in their responsibilities;
  • Changes in their mood or mental health.
"Helping to settle him back at home was possibly the biggest and most unexpected challenge."

- Rachel Anonymous

How can carers look after themselves?

Carers of brain injury survivors can look after themselves by attempting to balance their caring role with other responsibilities (including caring for themselves) and activities in their life. This may seem difficult to do, especially in the early days of brain injury when your loved one is still being treated for their injury or has just returned home. However, you can find guidance to help with this in our publication Caring for someone after a brain injury and general suggestions are given below:

Seek support from others , including friends, other relatives or Headway groups and branches in your area

  • Find out about your carer’s rights
  • Talk to others about how you are feeling
  • Explore the possibility of respite care
  • Learn about managing the impact of brain injury
  • Listen to stories of other brain injury survivor carer’s experiences, such as from our website Brain injury and me
  • Prioritise your health and wellbeing

How can Headway help carers?

Many of Headway’s services are available to carers of brain injury survivors as well as the brain injury survivor themselves.

You can learn more about brain injury from our freely downloadable publications or our training or webinar sessions, find support local to you from a Headway group or branch or contact our nurse-led helpline for information, advice and a listening ear.

To find out more about how Headway can help carers, visit our Supporting you page.

Explore our sections below to find out more about caring after brain injury.


Becoming a carer
Family reaction to a brain injury
Carer support groups
Supporting people to make decisions