Citation

Wilson BA. Neuropsychol. Rehabil. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/09602011.2020.1727660

PMID

32098562

Abstract

As a clinical neuropsychologist, I work with people who have sustained a brain injury and their families. Some of these patients will have sustained a very severe injury and remain in a prolonged disorder of consciousness (PDOC). I also happen to be a bereaved parent: my oldest child, Sarah, died in a white water rafting accident in Peru in May 2000 at the age of 36 years (Wilson, 2020). Consequently, I often feel a close connection with the families of patients who have sustained a brain injury, particularly those in a PDOC, and this has led me to reflect upon how the two groups might be similar and how they might differ.

Ostensibly, there are similarities and differences faced by parents whose loved one has died and parents whose loved one has survived a very severe brain injury. Both have lost the person they once knew, both grieve, may be filled with regret and/or guilt, face levels of stress and changes in well being, and both are likely to obtain support from others in the same situation.

Language: en