Some 19,000 people acquire a brain injury in Ireland every year and many of these end up having to stay in nursing homes long-term, the 14^th World Congress on Brain Injury was recently told.

The event, which was held in Dublin, was organised by the International Brain Injury Association and Acquired Brain Injury Ireland (ABII). Attendees were told about major deficits in the care of people with these injuries in Ireland.

“In Ireland, there is no clear pathway for survivors of brain injury. Once they’re discharged from hospital, their future is in the hands of a geographic lottery. The system is under-resourced and under-funded. However, assessment teams and specialist brain injury case managers can play a key role in addressing these issues at minimal cost to the State,” explained ABII chief executive and co-founder, Barbara O’Connell.

At the event, ABII launched a new campaign aimed at improving rehabilitation services for brain injury survivors. It is calling for an annual investment of €6 million - €2 million to be spent on establishing a nationwide brain injury case management service and €4 million to be spent on three national assessment teams for young survivors living inappropriately in nursing homes.

“This would enable survivors to move much more effectively from acute hospital care through specialist inpatient rehabilitation if needed and on to community-based services. Doing so also avoids delayed discharges from acute hospitals, frees up beds in our National Rehabilitation Hospital, reduces the burden of care on families and creates significant cost savings to the State,” Ms O’Connell pointed out.

She said that too many survivors “are left merely to exist” after being placed inappropriately in nursing homes where they do not belong.

“The slogan of our campaign is ‘Don’t Save Me, Then Leave Me – give me a pathway home’. We have solutions to help survivors rebuild their lives in their own communities and we need urgent investment to make it happen,” she added.

Brain injury survivor, Rosie Mangan, told the congress why a brain injury case management service is needed.

“There’s no continuum of service for brain injury survivors. According to our government, when medically stable, survivors should progress from acute care to step-down rehabilitation as close to home as possible. Unfortunately, even today, limited resources and long waiting lists result in many brain survivors being inappropriately placed in nursing homes. We feel abandoned, denied our human right to rehabilitation and the opportunity to rebuild the life we fought for,” she explained.

She insisted that the inappropriate placement of young brain injury survivors in nursing homes “is a human rights violation”.

“I very nearly ended up in one myself after acquiring my brain injury and I am a young woman in my 30s. If it wasn’t for the strength, support and dogged determination of my family, my life today would be completely different. We need to get this issue solved if we’re to avoid yet another black mark for institutionalisation in our history. Let’s empower our brain injury survivors and get them back on a clear pathway towards more independent living,” Ms Mangan said.

Speaking at the congress via video link, the Minister of State for Disabilities, Anne Rabbitte, said that the government is “committed to addressing the needs of those impacted by brain injury”.

“We already have many of the components of an effective brain injury rehabilitation pathway in place to make Ireland a global exemplar in this field. This is a priority for government and I look forward to working with those involved in the congress and the sector over the coming months to implement our plans and realise their shared ambition,” she commented.

The 14^th World Congress on Brain Injury was held in Dublin’s Convention Centre from March 29 - April 1 and it brought together brain injury professionals from across the world, including leading rehabilitation physicians, neurosurgeons, advocates and multidisciplinary practitioners.