Rehabilitation: A new residence to help people with acquired brain injury (ABI) in Tallaght was opened by the Minister for Health, Ms Harney last night.
The group behind the project, the Peter Bradley Foundation, is hoping to establish several more such facilities around the State, in a move to put those with such injuries in more appropriate accommodation.
Approximately 10,000 people a year sustain a traumatic brain injury (car accidents, violent assaults, etc) but there are very limited specialised services.
People with brain injuries are often placed in acute hospitals or nursing homes which are not necessarily suitable as, very often, families cannot look after them at home.
The foundation, which is a national organisation, is opening assisted living residences to cater for sufferers. It has also launched a community rehabilitation service to enable people to reintegrate themselves into the community after a brain injury. It says many people can return to their own homes, with proper support.
The residence in Tallaght is funded by the HSE. The house, at Kiltipper, provides a home to four male clients who were previously living in inappropriate environments.
The occasion also marked the launch of the organisation's community rehabilitation service.
The foundation said yesterday that many people who suffered brain injuries were young people who could expect to live a normal lifespan, despite extensive long-term effects on themselves and their families.
The foundation is aiming to fill what it sees as "vital service gaps" throughout the State, in partnership with statutory bodies.
The community rehabilitation service involves post-acute rehabilitation programmes, which help people to readjust to living in the community following a brain injury. The foundation said that many people with brain injuries could actually return to a fairly normal life in the community, if given the appropriate specialised support.
Speaking at the opening last night, Ms Harney said the project was the result of a successful partnership between statutory and a specialist agency "and is to be commended as a wonderful example of what can be achieved with vision and determination for the marginalised in our society".
She said the foundation's new rehabilitation service would provide "an invaluable support to people with ABI who wish to return to the community and to their families".
One of the clients of the project in Tallaght has been taken out of an acute hospital, which was not a suitable environment for him. Specially trained support staff are available around the clock at the Tallaght residence.
It is understood that there are ongoing discussions between the HSE Western Area and the Peter Bradley Foundation regarding the foundation providing services in the western area.
The foundation was set up in 2001 by Peter Bradley and two members of his family. Peter Bradley sustained two serious brain injuries as a young man. His only option at the time was a nursing home for older people.
The foundation was set up in response to his and other people's needs in similar situations.