Friends and the extended family

Adjusting to home life

Friends and the extended family

Friends may respond to your relative’s SCI in different ways. Some will be extremely supportive to you and your family, but others may feel uncomfortable and unwittingly say all the wrong things.

This is not because they deliberately want to say something unkind, but usually because they have little experience of disability and have no knowledge about SCI and its impact on a person’s life.


People who have not spent time with disabled people may be slow to see the person rather than the injury.

They may dwell on the negative aspects and the things your relative is unable to do, rather than the positive things that remain the same or which have improved.

If they are close friends, it will certainly help if you talk openly about the SCI and its impact on your lives. You should also encourage your relative to talk. This often brings friends closer together and helps them get over any embarrassment they feel about asking questions.

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