An acquired brain injury can change a person’s life in an instant. But the impact does not stop with the individual — it can affect families, relationships, work, education, independence and almost every aspect of everyday life.
In a powerful and informative conversation on Disability Matters, John Comiskey spoke with Catherine Lacey, Director of Service Operations at Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, about what happens after a brain injury and the importance of ensuring that people have the right support to rebuild their lives.
Catherine has more than 20 years’ experience in brain injury rehabilitation and leads national service development at Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, with a particular focus on improving access to neuro-rehabilitation across Ireland.
Brain injury can happen to anyone
One of the important messages from the conversation is that an acquired brain injury can happen to anyone, at any time.
A brain injury can result from many different causes, including stroke, traumatic injury, falls, accidents, infections or other medical conditions. The consequences can vary enormously from one person to another.
Acquired Brain Injury Ireland says that around 19,000 people in Ireland acquire a brain injury every year. The organisation works with survivors and their families to help people adapt, recover and return to independent living.
As Catherine explains, recovery is not simply about treating the physical effects of an injury.
It can involve relearning everyday skills, rebuilding confidence, managing changes in memory or communication, returning to work or education, reconnecting with the community and helping families understand a completely new situation.
Recovery is about the whole person
A major theme of the interview is person-centred rehabilitation.
There is no single recovery journey that works for everyone. Each person’s circumstances, abilities, goals and challenges are different.
Acquired Brain Injury Ireland develops individual rehabilitation plans designed around the goals of each person. Its teams include professionals such as neuropsychologists, occupational therapists and social workers, with speech and language therapists and physiotherapists involved where appropriate.
The aim is not simply to provide care, but to help people regain control over their lives.
That might mean learning strategies to manage memory and planning, adapting a home environment, developing new routines, rebuilding confidence or finding ways to participate more fully in the community.
Supporting people to live independently
For many people after a brain injury, returning home can be an important milestone — but it does not necessarily mean that rehabilitation is finished.
Acquired Brain Injury Ireland’s Home and Community Rehabilitation Service provides one-to-one support in people’s own homes, with rehabilitation plans tailored to their individual needs. The ultimate goal is to help people adjust to community living and live as independently as possible.
The organisation also provides Assisted Living services, where survivors can live in specially designed homes with support available when required, while maintaining autonomy and independence.
For Catherine, this wider understanding of rehabilitation is essential.
A person’s recovery should not be measured only by what they can or cannot do physically. It is also about choice, confidence, relationships, purpose and being able to participate in everyday life.
The impact on families
The interview also highlights something that can sometimes be overlooked: a brain injury affects the whole family.
When someone suddenly acquires a brain injury, relatives may find themselves trying to understand medical information, navigate services, make decisions and provide emotional and practical support — often while dealing with their own shock and uncertainty.
Acquired Brain Injury Ireland provides family and carer support through its On With Life programme, which offers information, education, training, peer support and practical assistance. The programme is available nationwide for people caring for adults with acquired brain injury, as well as specific support for parents and carers of children and young people.
This kind of support can be hugely important because families can otherwise feel isolated.
Sometimes, simply knowing that another family has experienced something similar can make a significant difference.
Returning to work and education
Another important part of rebuilding life after brain injury is finding a pathway back to employment or education.
Acquired Brain Injury Ireland’s Step Ahead Plus is a national vocational assessment and rehabilitation service for adults aged 16 and over with an acquired brain injury who want to return to work, training or third-level education. The programme helps individuals identify their strengths, abilities and challenges and develop personalised strategies for their next steps.
Returning to work is not necessarily about going back to exactly the same job or doing things in exactly the same way.
Sometimes it means discovering a new route.
Sometimes it means adapting the workplace.
And sometimes it means taking small steps towards a new goal.
Rehabilitation can restore confidence
Throughout the conversation, there is a strong sense that rehabilitation is about much more than physical recovery.
It is about helping people discover what they can do.
A brain injury may change a person’s abilities, but it does not take away their identity, ambitions or right to make decisions about their own life.
That is why independence is such an important part of the work carried out by Acquired Brain Injury Ireland.
The organisation currently supports around 1,300 brain injury survivors every year, according to its website.
The need for greater awareness and access
The conversation also raises the importance of awareness and access to appropriate rehabilitation services.
People living with brain injury and their families need to know where they can turn for help — and they need access to appropriate supports when they need them.
Acquired Brain Injury Ireland continues to advocate for better access to neuro-rehabilitation across Ireland and for investment that will allow services to reach more people.
As the organisation puts it, every brain injury is unique — and rehabilitation needs to recognise that.
A journey, not a single moment
John’s conversation with Catherine is ultimately a reminder that surviving a brain injury is only the beginning of a much longer journey.
Recovery can take time.
It can involve setbacks as well as progress.
And it can require support from professionals, family members, friends, employers and the wider community.
But with the right rehabilitation and support, people can rebuild their confidence, regain independence and discover new possibilities.
The message is one of hope: a brain injury may change someone’s life, but it does not have to define the rest of it.
Learn more about Acquired Brain Injury Ireland and its services: Acquired Brain Injury Ireland
This interview aired on Disability Matters on 92.5 Phoenix FM, a programme produced by Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living (BCIL).
Tune in to Disability Matters Thursdays at 4PM | Repeats: Mon 3AM, Tue 3AM & 7AM | Also available on Mixcloud and on bcil.ie/radio.
Compiled by Valentyna Hordiichuk