Our organisation is seeking funding to establish a national case management service that could stop the inappropriate placement of young brain injury survivors in nursing homes for older people – as part of our pre-budget submission.

With funding of €2m in 2025, we can expand our specialist brain injury case management team to all counties, reaching survivors nationwide and supporting them to live more independently in their communities, as close to home as possible.

Our CEO, Karen Foley said that this modest investment by Government would transform the lives of many people and families:

“Depending on where you live, you could be discharged home without appropriate information or education about the challenges you’ll face and the rehabilitation you’ll need to rebuild your life. Worse, you may be placed in a nursing home, as no other rehabilitation supports or services are available in your community. These are human rights issues that need to be made a political priority, as a matter of urgency, to stop the practice of placing young people in nursing homes.

Our expert case managers prevent survivors of brain injury getting lost in the system or along the pathway from hospital to home. Case managers act as a single point of contact, supporting the person and their family throughout their recovery journey. They also play a crucial role in identifying those already living inappropriately in nursing homes and navigating their route back to community living.”

Karen highlighted how the 2021 Ombudsman’s Report Wasted Lives reported a major concern with the inappropriate placement of 1,300 younger people with disabilities – the majority of whom are living with an acquired brain injury (ABI) – in nursing homes.

In August 2024, 1,200 people remained in the same situation.

In a recent update on Wasted Lives, following receipt of the HSE’s ‘Recommendations Implementation Progress Update’ (July 2024), the Ombudsman’s Office reported that an average of 32 people under 65 had been admitted to nursing homes every month this year.

“Already our case managers have transitioned 16 people out of nursing homes to more appropriate settings. We could expand those numbers significantly with increased funding for a national service.

“At the same time as creating a much-improved quality of life for the people impacted, a national case management service would represent substantial cost-saving to the state, with fewer prolonged hospital stays, the freeing up of essential hospital beds and a reduction in the burden of care on families.”

Rosie Mangan, who suffered an acquired brain injury four years ago as the result of a road traffic accident described the reality of living with an ABI without access to the required rehabilitation support and expertise:

In our submission to Government, we are also calling for urgent funding reform for all Section 39 organisations, as outline by our CEO, Karen Foley:

“Despite playing a vital role in the delivery of neuro-rehabilitation policy in Ireland, as a Section 39 organisation ABI Ireland is significantly underfunded and now at real risk of service closure.

“In addition to insufficient funding, our ability to recruit and retain our specialist staff is a constant challenge. While we welcomed the October 2023 WRC pay parity agreement, the reality is that we are still some 6% behind Section 38 organisations and the HSE, and this gap will widen in the coming months. This requires immediate action if we are to continue to be part of the community neuro-rehabilitation landscape in Ireland.”