Brain Awareness Week is a nationwide and global campaign that is taking place from March 15 to 21, 2021 and this year’s theme is ‘Promoting Access to Services’.
Quest Brain Injury Services and Rehab Care, collectively known as Galway Acquired Brain Injury Service (GABI ), are funded by the HSE and offer a community-based rehabilitation service, free of charge, to survivors of Acquired Brain Injury and their families.
The main ABI referral presentations to GABI include people who have been affected by road traffic accidents, sporting injuries, physical assaults, falls, strokes, brain tumours, brain haemorrhages, hypoxia (lack of oxygen ) and encephalitis. Acquired Brain Injury (ABI ) is caused by an insult or trauma to the brain, and may result in devastating physical, cognitive, emotional and psychological sequelae for those impacted.
Survivors of ABI can make a good physical recovery, however often find themselves with residual, more subtle deficits. These are referred to as the ‘hidden disabilities’, and may include memory deficits, fatigue, information processing difficulties, personality changes, demotivation, planning and organising difficulties, impaired thinking.
Secondary mental health challenges are common post ABI, presenting variously in the form of anxiety, social withdrawal, low mood, depression or any other mental health difficulty which preclude an individual from leading a full life. The GABI service comprises the joint offerings of Quest Brain Injury Service and Rehab Care.
The Quest Team address the rehabilitation areas of brain injury education, memory, general cognitive (thinking ) skills, attention and concentration, planning and organising, daily living skills, literacy and numeracy, family education, occupational, psychological and neuropsychological support.
These are delivered in a variety of group and individual settings, and are currently being made available online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Rehab Care provide the outreach element to the service, delivering 1:1 tailored support in the home and community.
The extended GABI rehabilitation team includes IT Instructors, Life Skills and Vocational Supports, Learning Supports, Community Outreach, Counselling, Occupational Therapy, Psychology and Neuropsychology. Together, we’ve successfully adapted to Covid-19 restrictions, tailoring our service delivery, to accommodate the individual and diverse needs of people with ABI accessing the GABI service.
Application forms for the GABI service are available at www.questbraininjury.com For Further Information, contact Quest: 091 778850
