The coronavirus pandemic has affected us all and, in lots of instances, the modifications to our existence have taken some time to get used to. Sure, we had been fairly good at being “keep at residence heroes” once we had been first requested to (particularly because it was all fairly scary and it was one of the simplest ways to remain secure) however because the lockdown within the UK is easing, we’re having to regulate another time. Having the ability to get out and escape the cabin fever is a welcome change, however with fears of a second outbreak, it’s nonetheless an apprehensive environment.
Whereas others complained about isolation, brain injury survivors confronted extra extreme penalties of lockdown
For the brain injury survivor group this has been a very troublesome interval, and nonetheless is. On the one hand, the place everybody else was having to acclimatise to the isolation it prompted, we had been already conversant in that. Sadly, invariably our social community appears to evaporate as soon as we’re residence and out of the “hazard zone”. As soon as folks suppose we have to be OK having been discharged from the hospital, they begin checking in on us much less and fewer, drifting away as they refocus on their very own busy lives. Nonetheless, extra importantly, what the lockdown meant was important rehabilitation providers needed to be paused. This included every part from appointments for physio remedy to help at residence which was thought-about “non-essential”. While we could possibly survive with out the help employees aiding with duties that is perhaps thought-about easy to the remainder of the world, it put many in a determined state of affairs the place the confusion from cognitive difficulties dominated their days.
Some of the troublesome modifications lockdown prompted, was the pause in help teams with the ability to meet up. These teams symbolize a lifeline for a lot of brain injury survivors as a result of they lastly can really feel understood and fewer alone. While many teams have tried to proceed with digital conferences, that is lower than perfect. Video convention calls can convey on fatigue, one thing most survivors battle with already. I used to be introduced up being instructed “Cease staring on the TV, you’ll find yourself with sq. eyes,” and while that isn’t precisely factual, the sentiment remains to be true. An excessive amount of display screen time is dangerous for us for a lot of causes. Instructional psychologist, Christine Fonseca, MS wrote in an article for Psychology Today: “Whereas researchers are solely simply studying of the true impression of display screen time on cognitive and emotional processes, the early findings should not nice. As little as two hours a day of display screen time has been demonstrated to negatively impression the mind, with reductions in gray matter and modifications to white matter. Most researchers acknowledge the dopaminergic impression of display screen time—display screen time use results in the discharge of dopamine much like the way in which medication like cocaine impression the mind. This has led to alarm concerning the long-term impression of elevated display screen time use (together with time on telephones, tablets, video video games, and TV). These modifications within the mind can lead to lowered consideration, reminiscence difficulties and modifications in our capability to suppose, learn, and write at a deep stage.” While it’s commendable that facilitators are placing within the effort to attempt to proceed holding these conferences so their members don’t really feel forgotten about, it isn’t an equal substitution
