Brain injury survivors service launched in Cork
A new vocational service in Mallow is calling on young people with brain injuries.
Acquired Brain Injury Ireland is rebuilding lives through neuro-rehabilitation and is calling on the public and healthcare professionals to come forward with brain injury survivors aged between 18 and 29 years old who may need help to get back to work or education.
Senior Occupational Therapist Sinead Stack is driving the initiative, called Step Ahead Cork, with her team to ensure as many young people with brain injuries in Munster can get the dedicated help they need to return to employment or go to college.
The brain injury expert said: “Brain injuries can happen to anyone at any age at any time. They happen every day from causes like stroke, traffic accidents, falls, assault and brain tumours. When a brain injury happens, it can be devastating, both for the individual and for their families. Depending on the severity of the injury and what part of the brain is affected, it can put lives on hold while they undergo intense rehabilitation to relearn things, they used to do without thinking.”
Newly re-elected Independent Cork City Councillor Thomas Moloney joined former minister of state Kathleen Lynch in supporting Acquired Brain Injury Ireland’s new Step Ahead centre in Cork. They were joined on the day by local Disability Case Officer Dermot Crosby from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) who encouraged employers to support young people returning to work after brain injury. Dermot’s colleague and fellow civil servant Steven Day has also backed the Step Ahead centre in Cork after his own return to work following a brain injury five years ago when he fell off his bike.
Ms Stack continued: “Very practically, after a brain injury, an individual’s brain is often working harder than someone who hasn’t gone through such a trauma and so that can cause fatigue, memory problems, frustration, stress. That’s why our Step Ahead service in Cork is so vital to help assess where people are at and help them with practical strategies so they can manage their fatigue and cope with stresses that might occur when returning to work or education.
“We also engage with employers to help with their understanding of the brain injury so they know how to support someone. For many people after brain injury, concessions from employers can make all the difference such as allowing someone to return part-time and gradually build back up to a five-day week.”
DEASP offers a suite of employment grants on welfare.ie to support employers hiring employees with disabilities. Some of these include the Wage Subsidy Scheme which has a maximum grant of €10,748 per annum where employers have a shortfall in productivity.
The Employee Retention Grant Scheme is available to individuals who acquire a disability and are in danger of losing their job. This funding can help retain people in their existing job or to be retrained in another position in the same company.
Step Ahead Cork is taking referrals for vocational assessments for young people with brain injuries across Munster who want to return to work or education. For more information contact Sinead Stack on 086-6034633 or visit abiireland.ie/stepahead.