Acquired Brain Injury Ireland (ABII) is seeking funding to move 90 young people who are currently inappropriately placed in nursing homes, back into the community.

A 2021 report by the Ombudsman, Wasted Lives, expressed major concern about the inappropriate placement of 1,300 younger people with disabilities, including brain injuries, in nursing homes nationwide. These young people were inappropriately placed because there was no other option open to them, such as a rehabilitation programme.

The Ombudsman said this was unacceptable and called on the government, the Department of Health and the HSE to address this issue.

As part of its pre-budget submission, ABII has said that with €4 million in funding, it can take the lead on this issue, and working with the HSE, can support 90 people on a rehabilitation pathway towards living independently in the community with a much better quality of life.

“It is now more than a year since the Ombudsman shone a light on the persistent and inappropriate confinement of too many young brain injury survivors in nursing homes, where they are denied their right to rehabilitation. Every day spent in a nursing home is one more day wasted in the life of a young person.

“In this budget, we are calling on the Government to start a response and invest in our brain injury survivors so that they can experience the freedoms they’re entitled to and live the lives they deserve,” commented ABII chief executive and co-founder, Barbara O’Connell.

She pointed out that over 60% of the brain injury survivors in ABII’s assisted living houses have come from nursing homes. However, 50% of all residents in ABII services “ultimately return to live independently”.

“With funding, we can provide this same pathway for more people,” she said.

With an allocation of €4 million in Budget 2023, ABII could establish three national assessment teams which would work to:

-Assess the needs of those aged under 65 who are  inappropriately living in nursing homes across Ireland

-Set out a pathway to support approximately 90 people to move back to community living in 2023, with potential for more each year subject to ongoing funding

-Prevent future inappropriate admissions.

 “For more than two decades our organisation has proven how access to specialised rehabilitation within local communities can transform lives. It gives people with a brain injury back their independence and eases the caring burden on families and the State. However you look at it, resourcing rehabilitation just makes sense. We can end this injustice for many more young people, but we urgently need the government’s support,” Ms O’Connell added.

Every year in Ireland an estimated 19,000 people acquire a brain injury, resulting in life-altering, dramatic changes. These injuries happen suddenly and are often traumatic, caused by road traffic accidents, stroke, assaults, concussion, falls and viral infections like meningitis.

ABII is the leading national provider of community-based neuro-rehabilitation services for people with an acquired brain injury and their families. It delivers person-centred rehabilitation to some 1,100 people annually, as well as support to their families and carers. For more information on the organisation, click here.