Tips for Communicating with Someone Post Brain Injury
There may be changes in a person’s ability to communicate after experiencing a brain injury that occurred from a cerebral vascular accident (i.e., stroke), heart attack, infection, neurological illness, or motor vehicle accident. Below are helpful tips to keep in mind when participating in conversations with your communicaiton partner.
Treat them with respect - It’s important to remember that intellect and communication are NOT synonymous. Although your loved one may not be able to fluently or functionally communicate, it does not mean that they’ve lost their ability to understand you.
Reduce distractions - Depending on where the brain damage occurred, it may contribute to difficulties with attention, concentrating, or organizing thoughts. Set up an enviornment that is condusive to having a succesful conversation. Move to a quiet location and eliminate visual and auditory stimuli that may be distracting.
Give them time to respond - Practice patience! It takes time to formulate responses.
Decrease your rate of speech - Speak slowly, simply, and clearly so it’s easier for your communication partner to interpret what you said.
Stay on one topic at a time - To avoid misunderstanding, confirm that your partner understood your message before moving on or changing the subject. Repeat, rephrase, or summarise details when needed.
Allow for rest periods - Having a conversation can be fatiguing when you experience difficulties with attention, word finding, or sentence formulation. When your loved one becomes tired, reduce stimulation and activity. It’s okay to take breaks!
Use gestures and facial expressions - Providing visual cues helps illustrate what we say and provides information about how we feel. Consider using non-verbal methods (e.g., body language, changing the prosody of your voice) to get your message across.
Be supportive - Imagine being in your body without the ability to use your body the way you did before. After experiencing a brain injury, one may feel frustrated, overwhelmed, powerless, fearful... It’s important to acknoweldge those feelings and express empathy and support. How can you show support? Participate in their therapy sessions to increase carry-over of skills, advocate alongside them, or create systems that support their ability to communicate and engage in daily activities. It’s comforting to know that you are surrounded by family and friends who value you and your progress.
With Love,
RM Studio
