Headway’s Action for Brain Injury week 2019
20th May 2019
Action for Brain Injury Awareness Week 2019
Action for Brain Injury awareness week 2019 takes place between the 20th and the 26th May. The event is organised by brain injury charity Headway and will be centred around a particular topic
This year’s topic focuses on the fatigue around brain injury and the stigmatising and debilitating effects of fatigue after suffering a brain injury. The company aims to try to challenge misconceptions about the hidden nature of brain injuries
The slogan for this year’s event is ‘brain drain – wake up to fatigue’. Fatigue is one of the most common experienced effects of a brain injury, as proven by the reason why most of the 11,000 callers call the charity every year.
The brain batteries control everything we do, think and feel. It is our control centre which dictates our actions & reactions and the speed at which those happen. They are recharged by sleep and rest. After a person suffers a brain injury, the brain batteries drain a lot quicker, therefore they need to be re-charged on a more regular basis, maybe even every few hours. Problems with sleeping though can make it difficult to recharge the batteries and will make it harder to combat fatigue.
Fatigue affects your daily life and recovery process. Pathological fatigue can be misunderstood along with more hidden effects of a brain injury. Brain function can be affected and that can sometimes lead to concussion, headaches, dizziness, depression, irritability and problems with memory. Some of these symptoms are normally short-term issues but some of these can be experienced for months or years.
The more severe the brain injury, the more serious and complex the long-term effects are likely to be. The more serious effects include: problems with your personality, relationships and their reduced ability to lead an independent life and you are likely to face uncertain and challenging futures
The campaign hopes to raise awareness, break stigmas relating to brain injury fatigue and give a voice to those affected by a brain injury