2022 Action for Brain Injury Week appeal, ‘See the hidden me’
2022 Action for Brain Injury Week appeal, ‘See the hidden me’: 12 of the written ways we show we do!
Within the realm of neurorehabilitation, it is essential to ‘peel back’ the layers to uncover an individual’s ‘hidden ability’ or their ‘hidden disability’. 
Krysalis Director, Jo Throp
Krysalis neuro occupational therapists (OTs) are skilled in detecting the hidden effects of brain injury and the extent to which they can impact everyday life.
Throughout getting to know their clients, they uncover ‘buried’ challenges and skills and set about supporting the client, in the former case, to manage them and, in the latter, to make the most of them.
So, Headway’s 2022 Action for Brain Injury Week appeal, ‘See the hidden me’, from the 16th to the 22nd of May, is a rallying cry we find impossible to ignore.
Wielding words as our tool, then, here are a dozen times we hope we’ve helped in the mission to expose brain injury’s hidden facets…
1. Hidden among friends and colleagues
It is only when individuals with hidden disabilities try to ‘get back to normal’, return to work, or challenge their executive skills that problems are uncovered.
Repeatedly, we hear of the frustration of brain injury survivors and their families when others are not aware of or do not understand their ‘hidden’ disabilities.
It can be upsetting to hear well-meaning friends and work colleagues comment on their ‘amazing’ recovery and being ‘back to normal’ when ‘normal’ is taken at face value.
But our neuro OTs can tease out even the subtlest of difficulties, including those masked by other, unrelated brain or body processes or diagnoses, as shown in our case studies here: [1]
2. Hidden consequences
Often the hidden consequences of a neurological diagnosis are poorly understood.
Supporting yourself financially through paid work is central to living independently and providing purpose and structure to your day.
Our neuro OTs know a neurological diagnosis such as a brain injury can make working and work choices more difficult.
A successful return to work after a brain injury needs specialist vocational rehabilitation designed to meet each individual’s unique challenges – ‘hidden’ or not.
Please find out more about how our vocational rehabilitation service helps here: [2]
3. Hidden in schools
You may think that you do not have any children with an acquired brain injury in your school - but due to the hidden nature of this disability, how can you be sure?
Child Brain Injury Trust [3]
“Very few” staff in education are aware of or understand how returning to school may affect a child after an acquired brain injury (ABI), according to the Child Brain Injury Trust [3].
Yet with youngsters spending around 30 hours a week in school, it presents as one of the biggest influencers in their rehabilitation.
In response, the trust has launched its ABI Aware School award scheme to guide good practice in supporting the education of young brain injury survivors. More about the scheme here: [4]
4. Hidden after a stroke
We now know even more about the major impact of stroke on people’s lives, including the hidden effects of stroke. Often these do not disappear with time.
Stroke Association [5]
According to the Stroke Association, the support provided by neuro OTs to help tackle the ‘hidden’ effects of stroke, such as memory or concentration difficulties, are crucial to recovery.
In the largest ever survey of the lived experience of stroke, which is an ABI, UK survivors confirmed that ‘the right support’ can make the road to recovery feel like a reality. More here: [5]
5. Hidden amid catastrophic injuries
Uncovering ‘hidden’ abilities is essential for individuals with profound difficulties.
Too often, traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors with complex cognitive or behavioural challenges are considered unable to engage in purposeful daily activity.
But when someone has profound difficulties due to catastrophic injuries, our neuro OTs refocus, placing the priority on uncovering their ‘hidden’ abilities.
Read more about this specialist approach in our case studies here: [1]
6. Hidden in healthcare
The consequences of these conditions can be broad and far-reaching, from those living with ‘hidden disability’ to those with profound needs who struggle with everyday routines.
We are also raising awareness of the hidden impact of brain injury through our new service, Neuro Logical, which is part of our insurance partner, Guardian’s specialist claims service, HALO.
The neuro occupational therapy expertise accessed via Neuro Logical helps critical illness claimants to manage a neurological diagnosis, including the ‘hidden’ aspects.
It also guides the insurance experts on the best ways to respond to claimants’ needs – and is a service that matters more now than ever. Discover why here: [6]
7. Hidden in litigation
While many of these skills or limitations remain ‘hidden’, they can be uncovered while observing someone complete everyday tasks. It is the skill of the neuro OT to determine an accurate picture…
When a brain injury survivor is involved in a legal matter related to their injury, it is vital, not least for the purposes of accuracy and justice, to identify any ‘hidden’ abilities or difficulties.
So how can observing their functional ability in activities of daily living (ADLs) reveal these ‘inner’ challenges? Find out here: [1]
8. Hidden in a pandemic
I don’t think any of us would previously have considered that it would take a pandemic to help people understand what it is like to live with hidden disabilities.
Global Brain Injury Awareness founder, Anne Ricketts
In our Talking Heads initiative, our blogger, Anne Ricketts, is well versed in voicing the needs of brain injury survivors and explaining the hidden effects of their injury.
As a survivor herself, the former international businesswoman is also the founder of not-for-profit Global Brian Injury Awareness, through which she widens awareness worldwide.
So, when covid sent us all into lockdown, Anne couldn't ignore the similarities between isolated living in a pandemic and her own lived experience of brain injury. Her analysis and ABI survival tips here: [7]
9. The ‘hidden epidemic’
1.4 million people are living with acquired brain injury in the UK. It is a hidden epidemic. It affects people in every town and village.
MP Chris Bryant [8]
When it comes to the impact of brain injury on people’s daily lives, there is no hiding from MP Chris Bryant, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for ABI.
Dubbing ABI as a ‘hidden epidemic,’ Chris has personal experience of its hidden effects after his father, mother, stepmother, and aunt all experienced neurocognitive conditions.
Read about Chris’s essential involvement in bringing into being a UK-wide ABI strategy to provide the best care possible for brain injury survivors here: [9]
10. Hidden potential
Sometimes, a life-changing disability provides an opportunity to acknowledge hidden talents we never knew we had.
Encouraging brain injury survivors to realise their ‘hidden’ potential makes up a considerable part of our neuro OTs' work.
Sometimes, however, even they and their clients are astonished by what pops up while plumbing the depths of submerged skills, unexplored since a diagnosis.
One case in point is the incredible achievement of stroke survivor Derek Williams after he told his OT (who became our Director, Jo Throp) that he wanted to write a book about his experience.
For what happened next, here’s the link: [10]
11. Hidden on camera
All of these stories help us to make it easier for everyone to understand this hidden condition.
UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF)
One of the UK’s leading voices for brain injury survivors, the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) brings the hidden aspects of ABI into sharp focus every year through its popular film awards.
The awards are open to anyone with ABI experience or wanting to share an innovative approach to neurorehabilitation in the community, schools, hospitals, or prisons.
Apart from a £500 prize, the winner benefits from a package of research and business support to develop their idea.
More details, plus 2021 winner, Nichola Leyland’s moving account of her little boy’s brain injury, ‘A Freak Accident’ here: [11]
12. Hidden…but making Headway!
The campaign will give a voice to survivors so friends, families, colleagues and professionals gain a better insight into the invisible battles they may face every day.
Headway – the brain injury association
We hope Headway’s ‘See the hidden me’ campaign opens many eyes to the hidden impact of brain injury while increasing understanding of its symptoms.
The charity’s 2022 Action for Brain Injury Week rightly aims to ease the frustrations brain injury survivors face due to poor awareness of their diagnosis and its impact.
So, why don’t we all give them a hand by wearing a wacky hat to mark the end of the campaign (working) week on Friday the 20th of May – Hats for Headway Day!
More about #HatsForHeadway and other ways you can help the ‘See the hidden me’ appeal here: [12]
Recently on talking heads ...
2022 Action for Brain Injury Week appeal, ‘See the hidden me’
References
[1] Hidden disability, hidden ability
[2] Krysalis: Vocational rehabilitation
[3] Krysalis What's On: CBIT return to school link
[4] CBIT: ABI Aware School awards
[5] Krysalis: Experiences of stroke survivors
[6] Neuro Logical: the Krysalis neuro occupational therapy net widens
[7] Anne Ricketts: Covid-19, brain injury and me - Diary of an ABI survivor
[8] Krysalis What's On: Featured Event
[9] New lived experience evidence as national ABI strategy welcomed
[10] 2019 Krysalis OT80 Awards: No.5 - Derek Williams
[11] 2021 Krysalis Christmas Countdown: Day 11 - The Film Producer
[12] Headway's Action for Brain Injury Week 2022: 'See the hidden me'