A person can show loving support to a partner after a catastrophic DUI crash by being patient, providing a safe space for the injured partner to vent his or her feelings, and helping with treatment and budgeting. Life-altering changes can occur after a person sustains catastrophic injuries. As much as his or her partner may feel like breaking down, he or she should provide support to help the recovery journey significantly.
Patience
After a catastrophic accident, there can be a long recovery phase physically and emotionally. The accident victims will require patience during this phase. As they recover emotionally, they may have issues like unrealistic demands and angry outbursts. Their partners will have to be very understanding and tolerant as they allow the victims to heal emotionally.
As injured people recover physically, their partners should help them become more physically active and independent gradually. Making injured people overexert themselves could quickly worsen their injuries. Their partners should not push them to return to work or do more than what is healthy for them. Accident victims should be met at their level until they are back on their feet. They should be encouraged to keep following the doctor’s instructions and recommendations.
Keeping Track of Appointments and Medication
Pain can affect an injured person’s memory and concentration, leaving him or her confused and forgetful of doctor’s appointments and medication intake. Regular assessment of a catastrophic injury by a doctor or specialist is crucial to a person’s recovery rate.
Medical practitioners provide different forms of care to help a person involved in a catastrophic accident get better, such as physiotherapy, cognitive therapy, and speech therapy. A partner should coordinate an injured person’s travel arrangements and schedule to ensure the person attends all medical appointments. The injured person can:
- Make phone calls for medical appointments
- Drive his or her injured partner to appointments
- Pick up medications
An accident victim’s partner should also help ensure medication is taken as advised by a medical professional.
Managing the Budget
Money problems can escalate rapidly after a catastrophic accident due to increased medical expenses and loss of income. As the injured person recovers, his or her partner will need to take the responsibility of reviewing and revising their budget.
An excellent way to address money concerns is looking into government assistance programs and disability benefits in case of a disabling injury. A personal injury lawyer can help a victim recover fair compensation to cover damages resulting from the accident.
Listening
DUI accident victims tend to feel anger, shame, and frustration when in pain or struggling physically. The abrupt changes that follow a catastrophic accident can leave the victims emotionally drained. That can make the recovery process more difficult, especially if they do not get the emotional support of their partners. A good way for a partner to offer emotional support to an injured person is by letting him or her talk through his or her feelings.
In most cases, injured people talk through their feelings to vent out their helplessness and frustrations rather than seek solutions. Partners should listen patiently. That offers a safe space that can reduce the negative feelings that injured people may have and helps them know that they can lean on their partners during those stressful times. Professional counseling can help in case a person’s emotions are hindering his or her recovery.
The support that one offers to his or her injured partner will be hugely appreciated and form a significant part of the partner’s motivation for recovery.