When a loved one is injured, it can feel as if the world has stopped for a time. The injured person, you and the whole family may feel as if nothing will ever be the same again. Although a serious injury can be life-changing, it doesn’t stop the depth of relationships or the desire to make the situation easier. Your support can be of real value to the injured individual if you focus your efforts on moving forward, rather than lamenting what is lost. Here are some helpful ways you can be there for someone you love who has experienced a serious injury.
Find Practical Ways to Help
The feeling of wanting to help is a natural reaction to having someone you love injured. However, hovering over them to fluff pillows or continually ask how they are can often be simple annoying. Instead, find practical ways to show your interest and concern. Fix the individual a favorite food or offer to go to library for books. Find out if there is a pressing task that you can do for them that will free them from worry. Take care of normal household tasks or outdoor maintenance. Be willing to run errands or be available for driving to appointments. Be available, but not overwhelming.
Ask about Therapy and Encourage Progress
Many people who are injured are unsure how to express their experiences as they move along the road to better function. You can help by encouraging them to speak of their therapy, their difficulties and their successes. This simple measure can help them to put their experiences into perspective and will help them to feel more connected.
Be the Communications Center
The individual who is injured will generally have plenty on their plate with physician’s visits, therapy, medications and other concerns. These activities can be exhausting and can keep the individual from attending to many common details.
You can be of help by acting as communication center for the individual, keeping family and friends up to date on how he or she is doing, keeping a schedule of appointments and tending to insurance and other details. If you have decided to engage the services of a personal injury attorney, you can be the one who is available to take calls and to make calls to advance the progress of the case.
Bring in New Energy
Another good way to support someone dealing with a serious injury is to keep them abreast of what’s going on in the wider world. Bring in newspapers and tune in on news shows. Keep up on the latest championship game. Notice something going on in your town or neighborhood. Find an interesting topic to discuss, whether from sports, politics, entertainment or science, to change the focus from the injury to what’s going on in the broader world. This action can help to bring fresh energy to the patient and can help to relieve boredom and depression.
When someone you love experiences a serious injury, you want to do all you can to help. But focusing that energy on authentic actions will be much more helpful than hovering over them to see if they need anything. If you keep these tips in mind, you will be providing real assistance when they need it, and a sense of normalcy that will be truly welcomed.
