About BIG Group
Are you helping to care for someone with a brain injury?
Do you know someone who has a brain injury?
We aim:
- to support carers individually, and to make it possible for carers to meet together to share experiences.
- to collect and make available appropriate information, leaflets and literature.
- to encourage ‘partnership working’ between health, social work and the voluntary organisations with a particular interest in brain injured people.
- to work towards establishing a range of initiatives to help relieve the needs of those with a brain injury.
- to facilitate education and training for professionals and volunteers.
- to encourage audit and research and publish the results.
We seek to encourage greater understanding of the effects of brain injury on people with this specific disability. Brain injury is a very general term referring to any damage to the brain.
The damage could be as a result of:
- trauma (from traffic, sporting, work accident or violence)
- cerebral infection or poisoning
- benign tumours or anoxia
- subarachnoid haemorrhage or cerebral aneurysm
People with a brain injury can have difficulty with among other things:
- speaking, hearing, taste and touch
- co-ordination and balance
- comprehension and concentration
- irritability and aggression
- epilepsy
- disinhibition
- incontinence
There are different levels of brain injury causing different types of symptoms, some are minor and some are very serious. No two people have the same difficulties, or depth of difficulties, or combination of difficulties. Some brain injured people are dependent on family carers, have significant physical and emotional problems and have become socially isolated.
Meetings
We meet every two months in different venues in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and in Moray. There is usually a speaker for the first part of the meeting followed by a cup of tea and informal opportunities for one-to-one or small group conversations which give people the chance, confidentially, to share experiences and to offer support to each other.
As the Group covers a very wide geographical area travel for members can be subsidised. A register of members is kept but there is no membership fee.
What do people say about BIG Group?
“I was so ignorant about brain injury and possible services in our area. The things I learned from the other families who are members of the BIG-Group have been invaluable.”
“When you go to the BIG-Group, you realise you are not the only people going through this.”
“Other peoples stories give you hope for the future. It really does get better.”
Members of the Group have already had to face these and other issues. If you now find yourself in a similar situation, let us try to help.
Please get in touch if you would like further information.
We are grateful to the above funders, and also to the voluntary organisations and individuals who have kindly made donations to us. Donations may be made on the Mydonate website - www.btplc.com/mydonate
The BIG-Group is associated with Headway, the Brain Injury Association (A registered Charity)
National telephone helpline: 0808 800 22 44
The BIG-Group is a Scottish Charity: charity number SC 032273