Immediate Aftermath

The following is designed to give you a simple model to follow in your attempts to regain your life, lifestyle and adapt to your new situation.

So what do you do immediately after being informed that a loved one has had a catastrophic accident?

I wish I had and easy answer to that question. When I was at the Police Training College learning to deal with accidents I was given the following mnemonic to help me remember the important things to consider: C.O.W.  Casualty, Obstruction and Witnesses. Obviously you are not dealing with the accident so we must adapt the terms to assist you in your situation.

Casualty still seems appropriate.

Your first concern must be towards your loved one and the treatment that he or she is receiving in hospital.

The hospital treatment is an area that opens up a huge array of questions.  Please read the Hospital document for more information. It will give a layman’s answer to a bewildering situation.

O is for Order.

Your world will be upturned. It’s a bit like throwing a large boulder into a pond. At first there is a huge splash, next many waves and ripples in the water and finally the pond stills again into the calm tranquil situation it had previously.

That is what you have to achieve the calmness again. Consider you domestic arrangements. That has to include the partner of the patient. Although very grateful for my wife staying 24 hours a day to ensure I was getting the best care available. She was exhausted by the time I was out of danger. You must get some rest while your partner is in hospital. Ensure your children or other family commitments are being looked after. Work is also another area that will have to be considered if you are employed. Most employers have a policy to cover emergencies. If they haven’t they should. It is unreasonable for an employer to not allow leave of absence when a loved one has had such a serious injury. Any loss of wages should be covered as a loss and reclaimed in the case.

Once out of hospital you must look to get support structures in place. The hospital should assist in putting some systems in place for you otherwise it could be considered to be an unsafe discharge eg simple aids to getting around the home, rails on stairs, equipment to aid bathing or equipment in the kitchen and equipment to help you in and out of bed. The list is not exhaustive but I am sure you will soon catch on to what is required in your own particular circumstances. In this area your financial circumstances are examined by Social Services. Theoretically, if you can’t afford anything it will all be done for you at public expense. But budgets are a hot potato and they don’t spend large sums of money willingly.

The following areas are those that you need to consider once out of hospital or just before being discharged. Social Services, Benefits, Work, Mobility issues eg prosthesis and car adaptations, Equipment eg wheelchairs or bathing aids, Finances and the legal issues of who was responsible for the accident, this includes finding a competent solicitor.

Finding a competent solicitor is for most people a bewildering and daunting task. Do you want a premier division solicitor or one in the fourth division? How do know the difference between them? You don’t! If you go to  the televised  No Win No Fee arrangement solicitor you may be storing up problems. Remember those type of solicitors make their money from the bulk of cases they attract and having a high turnover. The complications of a catastrophic injury deems it necessary to have a premier Division Solicitor. PLEASE don’t make the mistake I originally made. Luckily I realised I had made a huge mistake and changed without having done any damage.

W is for Win.

Win at what? Well it has any meaning you want it to mean. What I am trying to say is motivate yourself to climb out of the hole you have been thrown into. You will not be short of tasks to set goals to try and achieve the win. Here are some areas that you may have to set goals for. Mental problems, walking or achieving other mobility or dexterity tasks, returning to work, winning just compensation for you injury, returning to sport, hobbies and other leisure activities, fighting discrimination issues in employment, access to goods and services or education. Again the list is not exhaustive it is determined by you and your life style and ambition.

You may have to reassess you entire life. That does not mean that you cannot win at the new endeavours

Remember the holy C.O.W……casualty, order,  win.

Please read all the articles on the site. You never know when a snippet of information or others experience will be of use to you.

E-Mail to : enquiry.mentorexperiences@yahoo.co.uk