Headway Uk

This is a national charity which works with the victims of head injuries. I worked here for about eighteen months.
Most of us are unaware of how fragile our skulls are; we ride motorbikes, bycycles, drive powerful cars, go quadding and lots of similar things without a thought to the dangers we put our brain in.
In my opinion, cyclists are the most ill advised, loads ride a bike without a helmet, skate board nd rollerblade withour protecting their heads. Often those that do wear a hemet, wear them incorrectly.
I have massaged the fingers and feet of someone in a permanent vegetative state. He was knocked off his bike by a van. I have hand fed people who are paralysed one side because they were off roading without a helmet.
Depending on what part of the brain is damaged, there can be paralysis on one side, loss of speech, epilepsy, loss of memory — partial or complete, loss of cognitive skills. There is always a loss of inhibition — inability to control temper, lack of embarrassment over nakedness or loss of continence.
And all the men I have worked with display inappropriate displays of sex drive.
If you don’t wear a helmet properly, this could be you.
I have done speech therapy, physiotherapy, cognitive exercises, played pool, gone bowling, variously with service users. Gosh, that sounds as though they chose to be there!
It was heartbreaking. Clients died of pneumonia due to immobility, and brain stem damage. Others regained some sort of very limited independance, others will be forever in a care home although they are still young. Many die later from an embolism. Some commit suicide because their wives divorce them and they have nothing of meaning left.
Even those who make a full recovery are left with flashbacks, inability to tolerate loud noise, fatigue and irritability. I know of only one marriage locally that has survived a head injury.
The most vulnerable parts of your kull are the frontal lobes (temples and forehead) and the occiput — the curved part at the back. A cycle helmet should protect these parts — dont push a helmet upward.
Also the helmet should fit closely with taut straps. If they are loose, you may be choked if you are dragged, or if the helmet is pushed back on impact.
Headway works with Specialists to promote rehabilitation and independant living. It needs all the help it can get.
Please wear a helmet!