How to Help the Person who is Experiencing Fatigue
Recognise that person with brain injury is significantly more likely to experience incapacitating levels of fatigue.
Normal, everyday tasks (e.g. bathing, walking, preparing meals, chatting) may feel overwhelming and exhausting to the individual with fatigue problems. Ensure that adequate rest periods are scheduled on a daily basis.
Ensure activities do not take too long and become too tiring for the person.
Some people benefit from a short ‘nap’ in the afternoon (please ensure this does not interfere with sleep during the night).
Ensure good night time sleep pattern and routines and treat problems related to sleep disturbance.
It may be necessary to initially limit the number of daily/weekly activities which the person is expected to engage in with a view to gradually increasing activity as the person’s ability to manage this in the context of their brain injury improves.
A programme of graded exercise may help to address problems of deconditioning and be effective in decreasing levels of fatigue.
Address any unhelpful health beliefs relating to the person’s understanding of their capacity for physical activity.
Treat depression as this may be contributing to increased levels of fatigue.
Note that some types of medication may exacerbate levels of fatigue – please seek medical advice if this is a concern.
and be effective in decreasing levels of fatigue.
