Emotional difficulties, memory loss and fatigue: Headway lays bare the reality for brain injury survivors

“I feel detached from the world and emotionless. I am not able to socialise, even with my husband. So, it's very isolating. Everything is a struggle - even thinking.”

In their own words, this is the stark reality for a brain injury survivor, who has to live with the consequences of their injury every day. Such moving statements are part of Headway’s latest survey for Action for Brain Injury Week, released this week, which explores the real experiences of brain injury survivors, as well as their carers.

In the UK, approximately 350,000 people are admitted to hospital per year with a brain injury. With just over 1,200 respondents, the charity aims to increase further awareness of the impact that brain injury can have and how it can affect anyone. The survey by Headway aligns with its 2025 theme ‘On a good day’, revealing the fluctuating symptoms brain injury survivors face across good and bad days.

For brain injury survivors experiencing challenging days, many saw difficulties in pursuing their day-to-day routine, such as a higher emotional toll, fatigue and struggling with socialising.

As for carers, many felt an impact on their concentration and their personal relationships, as well as difficulties doing things independently.

Furthermore, 64 per cent of survivors and 53 per cent of carers feel they lose their temper more easily on a survivor’s bad day, whilst facing symptoms such as memory loss and anxiety.

In addition, 86 per cent of brain injury survivors found working or studying challenging when facing bad brain injury symptoms. One survivor reported, “If I have an extra busy day at work then the following day will, most likely, be a bad day.”

Over three-quarters of carers found it harder to engage with work or studies whilst helping a brain survivor through their bad days, with one carer reporting that they feel frustrated and upset that they cannot do anything to improve how the brain injury survivor may be feeling.

There also were clear frustrations with general awareness, where brain injury survivors felt that the public had limited understanding on how brain injury can contribute to a bad day. One respondent added: “With people who don’t understand my situation, I have to try and justify why I can’t or don’t want to participate in certain activities.”

As leading serious injury specialists, Slater and Gordon is giving its own backing to Action for Brain Injury Week.

In line with our dedication to helping brain injury survivors with legal guidance, we have been sharing client stories and statistics to spread further awareness of the impact brain injury can have.

Our client, Aine, suffered life-altering injuries after being struck by a vehicle traveling at 40 miles per hour on New Year’s Day. Aine now experiences memory loss and difficulty recalling words, a challenge that disrupted even the simplest of conversations. Matthew Tomlinson, Head of Serious Injury (North), adds: “Action for Brain Injury Week is important in helping us all to understand the impact that brain injury has upon survivors and their loved ones.

“Headway’s latest statistics play an important role in showing the true reality of what brain injury survivors, and their carers, go through on their bad days and their good days. It demonstrates just how brain injury can really cause a life changing impact on someone and how much resilience it requires.

“Headway is a fantastic charity in providing services to those who are facing lifelong challenges after brain injury, and is a lifeline to many in terms of the community outreach and carer support it delivers.

“As lawyers who work closely with brain injury survivors, as well as their loved ones and carers, we understand the life-changing consequences they have to deal with, and support them in every way we can. Action for Brain Injury Week is an important opportunity for us as a society to reflect on these challenges that are faced every day, and how critical tailored support is in helping them to move forward.