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Louis Theroux - brain injuries programme BBC 2
cabbles
Posts: 15,255
He really does pick his subjects well. It must be so hard for the family and friends of the people they're featuring.
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makes you feel grateful0
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The couple down in Cormwall. The woman speaks so clinically, so devoid of emotion. That's really scary that your brain can flip in that way1
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I have seen it - I used to work with disabled people quite a few years ago (helping them find jobs). It is a massive tragedy.0
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Love his documentaries. This one was as good as ever and as someone has already said the Cornwall couple was tough to watch.
I do wish he'd occasionally go back to the Weird Weekends subject matter though! Who can forget Thor Templar and his fight against alien invaders!4 -
Nobody does documentaries like Louis Theroux. Simply the best.
So compassionate and never see anyone feel uncomfortable in his presence.
Never gets too involved, just sits back and let's the often heartbreaking story come out.
Tonight's (and the one on alcohol 2 weeks ago) were incredibly powerful and really make you appreciate how precious life is5 -
Really felt for the bloke who, apparently, took jokes too far. As he said to the person who would make the decision whether or not he could lead an independent life, would he still have the same view in 5 years, 10 years, 30 years time. I realise they are only looking out for him as they feel he is vulnerable but to not have a say in your own life, whatever the star of you body/brain is a scary thought indeed.0
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This was a strange watch for me, I got made redundant from the civil service last year (HMRC) and decided to go for a new career and have been working for a company that specialises in neurological support services, I work as a Support/Outreach worker for individuals with acquired brain injuries.
Like airman I have been a Labour councillor in the past and spent many years on the social services committee, this gave me the background knowledge that convinced the company to give me the job with no previous professional experience.
Started in July last year, first client I had was so unpredictable he needed 2 support workers 24/7 in his own home after being released from a secure unit. A very steep learning curve.
Every person in the programme reminded me of someone I work with, one of the most important words used in the programme was capacity, this can make the work interesting.
If they have capacity they can make their own choices and decisions but the injury can make the decisions they make illogical to us but makes perfect sense to them.
Love the work, and the manager has also been kind enough to fit my weekend work around the home fixtures so I managed to get to all the games this season.
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Depending on the injury, it can affect people in different ways, but I do recall a very intelligent, likeable bloke who would get angry at the slightest trigger. He was also a bit inappropriate when he discussed his sexual desires. To look at him you wouldn't think there was an issue, so he got jobs, but they wouldn't last more than a day.0
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I acquired my brain injury back in 09, and it has been a long journey to recovery, a journey that is not yet complete, my recovery has amazed many doctors and the odd professor, it is far more difficult for the family of those affected but, I would say to anybody affected do not give up slow progress can be made. Today you would find it difficult to realise anything has happened.17
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what did you think of the programme @jonseventyfivejonseventyfive said:I acquired my brain injury back in 09, and it has been a long journey to recovery, a journey that is not yet complete, my recovery has amazed many doctors and the odd professor, it is far more difficult for the family of those affected but, I would say to anybody affected do not give up slow progress can be made. Today you would find it difficult to realise anything has happened.
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if you saw it that is0
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I'm pretty similar to you @jonseventyfive - got mine in '03. By rights, I shouldn't be here today, but the human body can be an amazing thing and cure itself far more than people realise. Unfortunately it can't fix everything. Memory damage I can handle, it's the speech & language damage that's more frustrating...and don't get me started on the neuro-muscular damage!jonseventyfive said:I acquired my brain injury back in 09, and it has been a long journey to recovery, a journey that is not yet complete, my recovery has amazed many doctors and the odd professor, it is far more difficult for the family of those affected but, I would say to anybody affected do not give up slow progress can be made. Today you would find it difficult to realise anything has happened.
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Hello all, it was a very interesting program, although as I'm sure you know every injury is different, for me it was instant retirement at 39, and yes my wife and son have a different version of me, I would say I'm running at about 75% of my former abilities and everything has been affected, I was in a coma for 2 weeks and the outlook was bleak, 7 years on and you would struggle to realise what has happened, I've been fortunate, my biggest help has been love, kindness and patience.24
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Also, I can see bits of myself in all the people involved, frustration is one thing I've learnt to cope with very well with time(except RD), I have become very calm over time.5
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Apologies for boring, having got my driving licence back, this weekend I drove over a hundred miles on the m1 to visit my 86 year old mum, although she doesn't really understand the past 7 years having a cuppa and a biscuit was another step on my journey.18
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Just spent the morning at headway, the brain injury support group is very useful to myself, our group is half a dozen or so strong, meeting other people with various levels of brain injury is frankly inspiring, my own problems seem minor compared to others, obviously not for everyone , but I would recommend anyone to look up their local group.4
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Hi jonseventyfive, oddly enough we did a session on this very program at my headway (SE London NW Kent) branch this morning. It was great to hear the stories of how the members related to the people in the program.
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Morning cafcpete, it's good to know other groups are doing well and hopefully providing help and good advice to those who need it.0
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Another inspiring morning at headway, although we all acquired our injuries in different ways we all struggle with the same stuff, be it violence or RTA, hemorrhage or stroke, life goes on with great determination, and a dose of bravery, incredible stories everyone of them.0
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Many moons ago I was having a crack playing golf, without much success, but I built a large selection of foreign coins, on Monday I gave the collection to a true gentleman living a very difficult life, witnessing his reaction and those around him was amazing, to say this helped me is hard to say, but for my spirits it felt wonderful.2
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Great read as always from my fellow lifers. Does anyone know of a local group in sidcup/bexley area? I think it would be great for my Dad to attend who has had two strokes (most recent being monday).1
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Watched a couple of his docs last night:
One about swingers parties. Another about hypnosis.
Both light entertainment.0 -
Smashing it again I feel with his new trilogy on dark America and heroin tonight2
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Just started watching it. Love his stuff.cabbles said:Smashing it again I feel with his new trilogy on dark America and heroin tonight
Do wish he'd go back to some of the light hearted stuff now and again. Recently he is getting darker and darker.2 -
Jeez this one's grim watching. Don't think I'll be putting Huntington on my "must visit" list.Clem_Snide said:
Just started watching it. Love his stuff.cabbles said:Smashing it again I feel with his new trilogy on dark America and heroin tonight
Do wish he'd go back to some of the light hearted stuff now and again. Recently he is getting darker and darker.1 -
I can only guess that he's done as much as that as possible and he wants to tackle the hard hitting stuffClem_Snide said:
Just started watching it. Love his stuff.cabbles said:Smashing it again I feel with his new trilogy on dark America and heroin tonight
Do wish he'd go back to some of the light hearted stuff now and again. Recently he is getting darker and darker.1 -
I thought this as well whilst watching tonight's show. It does feel as though a lot of his work over the past few years is starting to repeat itself in terms of theme and commentary.Clem_Snide said:
Just started watching it. Love his stuff.cabbles said:Smashing it again I feel with his new trilogy on dark America and heroin tonight
Do wish he'd go back to some of the light hearted stuff now and again. Recently he is getting darker and darker.
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Agreed - unlike so many others Louis realizes the show is not about HIM but about his subject.stackitsteve said:Nobody does documentaries like Louis Theroux. Simply the best.
So compassionate and never see anyone feel uncomfortable in his presence.
Never gets too involved, just sits back and let's the often heartbreaking story come out.
Tonight's (and the one on alcohol 2 weeks ago) were incredibly powerful and really make you appreciate how precious life is
Part of my job is training people for media interviews and for most interviewers it's easy, they are looking for a 'gotcha' moment and they are easy to avoid because you can see the punch coming.
With Theroux he just lets you talk and then nudges you and guides you into areas you shouldn't be in, one of his classic methods is to position things differently.
In the Savile documentary there'd have been no point asking him directly about being a nonce so he would ask, "There must have been lots of girls around in those days" - knowing that Savile would take the bait and he did.
His documentary about swinging couples in the US was also a classic, he was literally walking around a house of people shagging and asking them questions!2 -
The guy I work with (Mel) was with Headway after his injury,sadly he's off sick againjonseventyfive said:Another inspiring morning at headway, although we all acquired our injuries in different ways we all struggle with the same stuff, be it violence or RTA, hemorrhage or stroke, life goes on with great determination, and a dose of bravery, incredible stories everyone of them.
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That was enthralling and appalling. The statistics were mental, 1 in 4 adults addicted to opiates! In a place of 45,000 over 1100 overdoses a year.0
