05/22/2026
The person caring for a brain injury survivor often needs care just as badly as the survivor does. Families rarely get both.
In Louisiana, a mother had been the primary caregiver for her adult child since the child was assaulted several years earlier. The family had limited support from friends and extended family, and she often described herself as overwhelmed.
CHW Donna Harris, who serves Louisiana Healthcare Connection members, went looking for resources to ease that weight. She found a brain injury support group where the mother and the member could attend together -- a room full of people walking the same road. She added a chaplain referral for the moments that clinical help could not reach, and she made sure the mother had the behavioral health crisis line number in her phone.
The mother expressed gratitude -- not just for the resources, but for the fact that she no longer had to go find them alone.
The CHW model is not always loud. Sometimes it is the patient work of making sure no caregiver carries recovery by themselves.