The objective of this study was to examine familiesâ?? experiences living with acquired brain injury (ABI) using a research approach\nthat included both the affected individual family member and the family together as a family group. A narrative inquiry study,\ninformed by the life-stage approach of Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, and Zilber, was used to obtain family stories. Families experiencing\nan ABI event were purposefully selected from different regions in a western Canadian province. Centered on the life\nstages of before the ABI event, now living with the ABI, and the future, thematic findings included: Families, a grounding force;\nLosses, individual and family; Family adaptive capacities; Experiences with the healthcare system-hospital to home; and A\npatchwork future-entering the unknown. Themes affirmed the significant impacts of ABI on individual and family members and\nacknowledged ABI as an ambiguous loss event. The findings also illuminated familiesâ?? strengths and resiliencies in coping with\nliving with ABI. The study results suggest by â??thinking familyâ? nurses can contribute towards a healthcare model that focuses on\nâ??familyâ? as the central unit of care.
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