Skip to Content
All Media
All Media

In the Hospital After Brain Injury

Categories: Living with Brain Injury, Being a Caregiver

The days and weeks after a loved one sustains a brain injury are often devastating, burdensome, and exhausting. If an injury is severe and the individual is in a coma, the waiting is extremely difficult and, unfortunately, the medical team is not able to clearly determine an outcome or prognosis. Brain injuries are complex, and because no two brain injuries are alike, determining a long-term prognosis may take many months – perhaps years – to determine. Because there are no clear answers, the medical team often expresses outcomes that may feel generalized and “blunt” to family members and loved ones about what to expect. It is important to remain hopeful in these moments, and to remember that brain injury is a marathon, not a sprint. 

There are several sections of this website that will help family members understand more about brain injury: