Advice please

[lcd8]

I have been invited to talk to someone about living with a BI, with particular reference to working. Anyone have any ideas where to start please?

[Chat2U]

What is the context? Generic talk or are you advising an individual? Are they going back to the same job? Were they full time? When was their TBI? What are their current limitations?

[lcd8 in reply to Chat2U]

No I'm not advising on anything and they haven't had a TBI. Its more a colleague who trying to understand what it might be like to be coping with a health condition as well as work.

[Hidden in reply to lcd8]

Usual rules apply - the ability to work is guide by the ability to do the work. If some one has memory or concentration issues, what work could they be trusted to do?

[skydivesurvivor]

anable to work, incapable of concentrating on anything!! Except painting,do it for hours! My therapy!!

[Writeronstack]

Three points to make, other than the above.

1) the person is finding out his or her limitations day to day. No use asking them to assess what they can and can't do. They won't know until they have a go, and it will differ according to what quality of sleep they had the night before.

2) every brain injury is different and doctors don't necessarily "get" the patient's cognitive limitations either. Some days this is good, other days very dull. Not much room for variability when you talk to doctors. They see this as "vague".

3) Being open to listening and then allocating work is the best way forward. Sometimes that will be no work at all.

I base this on my colleague who I help run a business with. Sometimes, now. Doing what I can and when I can. In total, I am beginning to make a contribution again.

Can't think of anything else.

Hope this helps.

[lcd8]

Thanks for your help everyone. All of these are great points I might be able to work into the conversation. Please note that I will not divulge any personal information about myself or anyone else.

[Chat2U]

Ok, some thoughts.

1. HEADWAY INFO SHEETS - CONTINUOUS

I would print them all off and put them in a file for people at work to reference as situations come up - all of them, not just the ones that ref employment.

2. WORK ENVIRONMENT- EG LIGHT/ NOISE SENSITIVITIES

Ask the BI person how to set up the environment for them to work most effectively.

Eg. Quiet area of office with no phones, interruptions, bright lights, conflicting noises.

3. FLEXIBILITY - UNPREDICTABLE

This could be part time hours, flexible work days, working from home etc.

Eg. Set the parameters of 15 hours work per week then agree that this can be worked as 2 full days or 3*5 hour days etc, with the choice to work in the office or at home.

The key thing is to set expectations of weekly hours and output and let the BI person deliver those across the week in a way that works for them that day/week; specifically with the ability to change the days/ hours worked on a weekly basis as long as total hours and output are delivered.

This will produce the most reliable output from the BI worker so best value for money for company.

One of the things that makes work most difficult is the fact that with a TBI, you simply do not know how your brain/ body are going to perform for you on any given day.

4. IDENTIFY, COMMUNICATE & MANAGE TRIGGERS

It is useful for the team working directly with the BI person to know their triggers and to understand their reactions so they aren't taken personally.

Eg. Participating in an intense 2 hour meeting may wipe out the BI person for the day so it may be best to minimise person to person contact for rest of day.

Eg. If they have to work in an environment with conflicting noises at some point then this is the equivalent of a neuro-typical person working with someone dragging their nails down a blackboard over and over again. They are going to get irritable and unproductive.

Ask the person with the TBI to take the time to identify their triggers and their common reactions, come up with ways to minimise them, and communicate to immediate colleagues.

5. UNDERSTAND PHYSICAL IMPACT & MANAGE WHERE REQUIRED

A TBI can mean cognitive issues that need to be managed such as:

A. Memory Problems - take more notes

B. Brain Fog - slower processing - build in more time but also ensure follow normal good practices such as feedback post meeting etc.

C. Aphasia - just be supportive and work with more descriptions when required!

But it can also come with a raft of physical issues such as:

A. Pain - the obvious one being migraines, but depending on the cause of the TBI you could be dealing with back/neck pain, leg pain, any pain really if it was a fall or RTA etc - do a full workstation assessment to ensure needs met.

B. Coordination/Walking - the TBI person could have difficulty with signals getting from the brain to the arms and legs which can make them uncoordinated - may be good to have meetings on lower floors (issues with exit if fire drill), and practice good protocols such as 50 min meetings rather than 60 to allow to time move between locations. And importantly - don't judge! If they are suddenly struggling to walk without holding onto desks they are dealing with fatigue/ pain related issues, they aren't drunk!

C. Absences/Tremors- common post TBI - just be aware of how to manage in the workplace so no drama when happening.

The key thing again is to ask the person with the TBI to identify their issues and work with them to find solutions then communicate.

This all sounds a lot but really it just comes down to IDENTIFY, MANAGE, COMMUNICATE.

And some good old fashioned compassion.

I hope this helps to give some ideas for the framework for your conversation.

Let us all know how you get on. 🙂

PS. If you are the person with the TBI then you might want to reflect on how supportive your company is before you decide how much to share. HR find it much easier to deal with physical disabilities, there is still a long way to go with invisible disabilities. Be sure that they are going to support you before you give them the ammunition to manage you out. Good luck.

[Kate-Neuro]

There are issues around abilities to plan, organise and direct attention with frontal brain injuries (executive functioning). Comprehension and memory problems may also affect workplace performance and low mood, motivation to keep at a task and fatigue can be troublesome. Perhaps physical disabilities will be involved too.

Employers will take all of these cognitive and physical strengths and weaknesses into consideration. At times, employees suffering a BI have had to change to a new field of employment as it's been impossible to continue in the job they were doing pre-injury.

Hope this helps

[lcd8 in reply to Kate-Neuro]

This is amazing. Thanks so much for your help.

Lulu

[Kate-Neuro in reply to lcd8]

You're welcome, Lulu.

It was fascinating to read your bio - you've overcome so much 🤗

You're absolutely right, some BIs and brain abnormalities are congenital and those experiences are going to be very different. Helpful therapies and strategies really need to take those differences into account.

Good luck with your talk!