Is a Loved One Seriously Injured? Nine Ways You Can Help Them to Recover

Every year, thousands of South Carolinians are injured in motor vehicle accidents, falls, and other serious accidents. Traumatic injuries are painful and physically debilitating. They also can adversely affect a person’s ability to hold a job, provide for themselves and loved ones, and enjoy their usual quality of life.

If your loved one is recuperating after a serious injury, experiencing pain and unable to work, he or she may be going through one of life’s most difficult ordeals. You may make a real difference in your loved one’s recovery by providing understanding support. Learn about specific ways you can help an injured loved one.

If you have questions about how you or a loved one can move forward following a devastating accident, contact the compassionate legal team at Joye Law Firm. We’ll take the time to understand your needs and review your legal options to regain control of your life. Our attorneys’ goal is to make a positive difference if the lives of the people who turn to us for help. Whether that involves pursuing an injury claim on your behalf or simply answering your questions and providing some guidance at no charge, we’re ready to assist.

Understanding Life-Changing Injuries and How They Can Affect Us

A life-changing injury is any serious injury that has a long-term or permanent impact on someone’s quality of life. People who suffer life-changing injuries typically face lifelong medical issues, serious disabilities, reduced life expectancy, and expensive recoveries.

The negative effects of a life-changing injury can be hard to bear. Coping with substantial physical pain, limited mobility, financial stress, and other losses can feel isolating and hopeless. Compassionate support from friends and loved ones is an important aspect of recovery after a serious injury.

How Can I Support Someone Recovering From a Serious Injury?

Many people will need some help after a serious injury. If your loved one suffered a traumatic injury, you may find yourself wanting to help but uncertain about what you can actually do to support them in their recovery.

The good news is that there are many simple ways you can help your loved one look out for their physical and psychological well-being. We’ll discuss nine key tips for supporting someone you love after a serious injury.

Help with Research

There’s a lot of work involved in recovering from a serious accident. That work often requires extensive research. You can make things a lot easier for someone who has suffered a serious injury by helping them with their research.

For example, you can help them understand how to file an insurance claim, which types of auto insurance and health insurance they have that they can use to cover their medical expenses, and what paperwork they’ll need to complete as part of the claims process.

The medical system and insurance are complicated to navigate. Patients need to make informed decisions about the care they receive, but that can be difficult if they don’t have a full understanding of their injuries and their potential treatment options. Assisting accident victims by going through vetted, reliable medical resources is an excellent way to lend a hand.

Reassure them with emotional support

Suffering a serious injury can be frightening and sometimes even life-altering. The psychological and emotional toll of a traumatic injury can be just as challenging as the physical aftermath. It is important to provide emotional support to loved ones after a serious injury or shock after a car accident.

One of the best ways to offer emotional support is to simply be a good listener. Allow your loved one the space to express their emotions and work through their feelings. Avoid making them feel rushed when facing decisions or pushing them to “get over it.”

Do your best to create a safe and calm environment for your loved one where he or she feels supported and free to heal at their own pace.

Listen to Them

For many people who’ve sustained a serious injury, just having someone to talk to and listen to their story can be a source of great comfort. A person struggling to recover from a serious injury may feel stressed, frustrated, anxious, and overwhelmed.

This is especially true for patients who have been in a hospital or undergoing rehabilitation for a long period. If someone has been going through treatment for injuries for a number of months, they may be frustrated or impatient with the slow pace of progress and want someone to talk to about what they’re going through.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to talking to accident victims is to focus on their needs. Pay attention to what they’re saying and how they’re feeling. Watch their body language. If they want to talk about the accident and the progress they’re making, that is fine. But an injured person may not want to dwell on the accident. They may want to talk about something else to take their mind off their injuries. Resist the urge to offer unsolicited advice. While well-intended, it may come across wrong. If the injured person seems uncomfortable with whatever you are talking about, find another topic of conversation.

Here are a few tips for how to be a good, supportive listener:

• Show interest in their general well-being
• Remind them that they’re not alone.
• Consider what they may need and offer to help them with everyday household tasks if that’s what they want.
• Tell them that while you may not be able to fully understand what they’ve been through, you’re always available to listen to them.
• Keep in mind that recovering from a traumatic injury takes time.

Help them manage their doctor’s appointments

Navigating the healthcare system can be a challenge even when we are healthy. Managing a calendar full of appointments after a serious injury can feel totally overwhelming. Being an advocate and second pair of ears for your loved one as they attend important follow-up medical appointments can be a lifesaver.

People who suffer serious injuries may be under a physician’s care for a long time. It’s easy to miss an appointment. By assisting your injured loved one in coordinating, scheduling, and traveling to the appointments, you can help them access the care they need to recover as quickly as possible.

It can be helpful to offer your assistance with simple tasks, such as attending appointments with your loved one or writing down home care instructions from their care team.

The health insurance system can become overwhelming to someone who is seriously injured. This can lead to denied authorization of certain types of medical treatment and accident victims feeling trapped and helpless.

Here are a few specific ways you can help someone who has suffered a serious injury navigate the medical system:

• Dealing with insurance – Depending on the type of health insurance someone has, he or she may need approval before seeing certain medical specialists or undergoing certain procedures. To minimize the chance of any time-consuming bureaucratic mistakes, you can review your loved one’s health insurance policy to help them see the right doctors, get prior authorizations when needed, get the medication they need, and stay on track with their prescribed treatment regimen. You can help your loved one understand the limits of their insurance coverage and estimate what their out-of-pocket expenses may be so they can plan accordingly.
• Transportation to appointments – A serious injury can leave someone unable to drive or use other transportation to get to medical appointments. Driving your loved ones to the doctor’s office or the hospital will make their lives easier.
• Keeping track of medications – Depending on the nature and extent of their injuries, accident victims may be prescribed several medications at once, all with different schedules and dosages to keep track of. Coming up with a system to manage all these medications will help accident victims stay on course with their treatment plan and make sure the medications are taken as directed.

Build a Care Plan

The recovery process after a serious injury can be lengthy, costly, and a bit overwhelming. To give your family member or friend the best chance at a full recovery, help them write down a comprehensive treatment plan.

Include the names of their doctors and the various facilities where they’ll be receiving treatment, the schedule and dosage levels for any medications, the time of their different treatment appointments, an overall timeline for the recovery process, and so on.

Be as detailed as possible while acknowledging that plans can change depending on any number of factors.

Manage Stress

Recovering from an injury can be very stressful.  However, caring for a loved one who is recovering can be very stressful, too.  Feeling anxious, overwhelmed or even a little resentful is not uncommon amongst caregivers. That’s why it is important to find healthy ways to reduce your stress.

While you are focusing on someone else’s needs, you can’t forget about your own.  Your loved one will be depending on your support.  So, it is important to have the physical and emotional where with all that will be needed.

Many local and online resources are available to help support caregivers and help you navigate this difficult time.

Make sure they don’t overdo it

Getting sufficient rest is an essential part of recovery from a serious injury, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Some injured people get impatient and try to be too active too quickly. That can set back their recovery.

Keeping up with simple household tasks can be an exhausting ordeal for an injured person. You can ease your loved one’s burdens by proactively helping them around their home. Taking care of the dishes, cooking, cleaning, and assisting them with bathing or getting dressed upon request can all be extremely helpful.

People may take a while to come to terms with their physical limitations after a serious injury. This is especially true if the injury compromised their ability to live independently.

Help your loved one adjust to diet and lifestyle changes

Serious injuries often have far-reaching effects on a person’s life. In many cases, severely injured people are forced to limit their physical activity, which can have negative physical and psychological consequences.

You can help your loved one adjust to these changes and maintain their general well-being by working with them to develop a healthy eating and exercise plan. Monitoring an injured person’s caloric intake and making wholesome changes to their diet can help them avoid excessive weight gain, which can adversely affect their health.

Helping your loved one keep to a regular schedule of low-impact exercise based on recommendations from a physical rehabilitation specialist can reduce muscle loss, build strength, and improve overall mood.

Make sure your loved one keeps up with their medications

Prescribed medications are an important part of recovery for many people with serious injuries. If a patient is supposed to take a number of medications at different intervals throughout the day, it may be difficult for the person to remember, organize, or order refills of the medications according to schedule.

You can help your loved one by assisting them with their prescriptions. This may include helping them organize pills into a pill reminder, applying topical treatments, and dispensing medications according to their doctor’s orders.

Before you try to help your loved one with their medications or treatment schedule, make sure you have discussed their care with a medical professional so you understand your loved one’s needs.

Need a Case Evaluation? Contact a Serious Injury Lawyer Today

If your loved one was injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, another way you can assist is by helping them understand their legal options and selecting the right personal injury lawyer. When you search for legal representation in South Carolina, look for attorneys with a wide range of experience, stellar client reviews, and a history of favorable case results.

At Joye Law Firm, our attorneys have been serving victims of serious injuries for more than 50 years. We are deeply familiar with South Carolina law, and our attorneys will pursue every possible avenue to help you recover every dollar you’re owed after an accident caused by someone else’s negligence.

To discuss whether your injuries entitle you to pursue a personal injury claim, speak with a knowledgeable and compassionate lawyer at Joye Law Firm. Call us at 888-324-3100 or contact us online for a free consultation.