The Thinking Ahead Podcast

Episode 10: Reflections – A Never Ending Journey.

Episode 10: Reflections – A Never-Ending Journey…
 
In this episode, Paul reflects upon Series 1 of Thinking Ahead as a whole and how Podcasting has helped him on his journey of recovery. Paul shares with us the profound benefits of Podcasting in establishing and re-building his sense of identity which has given him purpose and meaning in being able to help others with acquired brain injury, their family and friends, healthcare professionals and the wider public.
 
Paul also confides that his journey has not been plain sailing and discloses some of the wider challenges and frustrations he has faced as a result of the acquired brain injury. He re-caps on his initial unawareness of his brain injury and how making the Podcast series has radically transformed his thought processes enabling him to have an understanding of the subtle and hidden changes he has encountered along the way. More profoundly, the new narratives he has constructed with others has opened the doors for further insight building with the support of his brain injury rehabilitation team in this never ending journey of post-traumatic growth and new possibilities.

Episode 9: Brain Injury Service Provision – Broken pathways

One person is admitted to hospital with a brain injury every 90 seconds within the UK which equates to approximately 977 admissions to hospital a day. More and more people are surviving brain injuries due to advances in acute medicine but this means more needs to be done so these people can access ongoing community neurorehabilitation to optimise their recovery and reduce the longer term societal impacts.
 
In this episode, Paul and Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapist, Natalie Mackenzie, discuss the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Acquired Brain Injury whose main objective is to raise awareness of brain injury and to seek improvements in support and services across the UK for people who are directly affected. 

Episode 8: Hidden Injury - “I thought you were drunk!”

People living with hidden injuries and disabilities often face barriers or judgement in their day-to-day lives. So how do you raise awareness and tell people about a condition that can’t be seen?
In this episode, Paul interviews fellow brain injury survivors, Rob and Jules, who describe the challenges they face within the community, and together, with Paul, explain how beneficial it is to come together to share experiences and offer each other support at centres such as Brains Matter.
Paul also talks to the staff at the brain injury charity, Brains Matter, who explain how valuable the internationally recognised sunflower lanyards are for those with hidden disabilities in navigating and finding help and understanding in public places.
 

Episode 7: Family & Friends - Don't face it alone

A brain injury will impact everyone around the person with the brain injury. It’s an incredible adjustment having to learn to live with what seems like a different person and this can come with confusion and frustrations for all parties. Brain injury charities play an important role in supporting not only the person with the brain injury, but their family and friends too. In this episode, Paul interviews the team who run the charity Brains Matter in Kent in the South East of England. Staff members Kevin, Lisa-Rae and Cheryl describe the safe space they provide at their centre and coffee drop-in sessions where family and friends can speak freely, without judgement, to receive valuable support and advice, not only from the specialist staff but from other families who share the same experiences.

Episode 6: Emotions – Getting to know me again

The frontal lobes of our brains control our emotions and behaviours from happiness and joy to frustration, impatience and anger.  Following a brain injury, strong emotions may rapidly become exaggerated and heightened for some and difficult to regulate.
 
In this episode, Neuropsychologist, Dr Alex Garfield, explains how there can often be a difficult adjustment period following a brain injury for the individual, their family and their friends as they come to terms with these personality changes. She emphasises how important it is to embark upon a journey of psychological discovery of how the brain injury can impact emotions and how they can be managed.
 
Paul, together with fellow brain injury survivor Jules, reflect upon how some of these subtle changes have had a profound impact upon their day-to-day lives.

Episode 5 - Fatigue: Brain tired not body tired

Episode 5: Fatigue - Brain tired not body tired
 
In this episode, Neuro Speech and Language Therapist, Eleanor Woodward, and Neuropsychologist, Dr Alex Garfield, explain how the brain has to work that much harder following a brain injury to concentrate, process and sort out information, engage in conversations and make sense of the world around us.
 
Together, Paul and fellow brain injury survivor, Jules, describe how this additional cognitive load creates significant brain tiredness which can have a knock-on effect on their emotions and those around them. They illustrate how brain injury fatigue impacts their day-to-day life and provide tips on how we can keep our ‘battery’ charged throughout the day.

Episode 4 - Running On Uneven Ground

Episode 4: Vestibular Function - Running on uneven ground
 
Paul is a keen and proficient sportsman who enjoys tennis, golf, indoor bowls and park runs. Although he could walk and move as normal following his brain injury, he was devasted to find he struggled to regain his sporting ability. Paul learnt this was as a result of damage to his vestibular system that subtly effected his balance, the control of his eye movements, and his sense of where his body was in space.
 
So, what is the vestibular system and why is it essential for our everyday movement and functioning?
 
In this episode, Paul interviews Neuro Physiotherapist, Sally De La Fontaine, who is a specialist in vestibular rehabilitation, to unravel this complex phenomenon and why it is important to engage in physical activity and challenge our bodies in a targeted way following disruption to our vestibular system.

Episode 3 - Executive Function, Talking the Talk, Not Walking the Walk

Episode 3: Executive Function - Talking the talk, not walking the walk
Together with Natalie MacKenzie, Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapist, Paul treats us to an intriguing episode about the ‘frontal lobe paradox’ where intentions and actions do not quite mirror. Paul brings this poorly understood concept to the forefront through his own insight building and realisations about his own executive functioning, and shares valuable strategies and tips that are beneficial to us all.

Episode 2 – Communication, “I’m Done With This Conversation!”

Episode 2: Communication - “I’m Done With This Conversation!”
Paul has a background in radio presenting and fortunately, following his accident, he has maintained his ability to speak fluently and articulately. Nevertheless, this episode delves deeper into the fundamental cognitive skills required to engage appropriately and effectively with our conversational partners and the amount of energy a person’s brain uses in having to relearn these skills again. Paul’s Neuro Speech and Language Therapist, Eleanor Woodward, beautifully illustrates the concept of ‘cognitive communication’ and reveals the complexities of our conversations with others.

Episode 1 – Life Can Change in a Moment…

Episode 1 – Life Can Change in a Moment…
In this introductory episode, Paul casts us back to that memorable and glorious day whilst working at the Ryder Cup in Paris in September 2018 before tragedy hit.
Paul details the devastating chain of events that led to him being in a coma and, later, being medically transferred back to the UK. In an interview with renowned Neurologist, Dr Nikos Gorgoraptis, Paul discovers the true extent of his brain damage from the MRI scans and some of the challenges that lay ahead.