Programme for Parents and Carers of Under 18s
A brain injury is sudden, devastating, and life-changing for both a child and their parent. Our ‘On With Life’ programme supports parents, carers, siblings and professionals working with children or young people with an acquired brain injury.
Acquired brain injury affects the entire family – the injured child, parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents and other relatives.
We know that caring for a child/young person with a brain injury can be difficult without any help or support. Parents whose children have an acquired brain injury experience a range of emotions. Coming to terms with these new circumstances can place a great strain on parents and can take time.
The On With Life Programme helps family members and friends to cope with the additional demands of maintaining a healthy work/life balance in the context of a new caring role. We’re here to help you get ‘on with life’.
An Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is an injury that has occurred after birth, in childhood or adulthood. The ‘acquired’ part simply means that the child wasn’t born with their injury – it is the result of an accident or illness that has happened later.
Acquired brain injury may be:
- Traumatic (TBI): the result of an impact to the head. Examples might be a car accident or a fall
- Non-traumatic: the result of something which happens inside your brain. Examples might be a bleed, a stroke or a brain tumour
Each child is as unique in the way they respond to a brain injury as they are in every other aspect of their lives. And just as every brain is different, the way each brain is affected by an injury is different.
Children/young people with an acquired brain injury can experience difficulties with:
- Communication, expression and understanding
- Fatigue
- Learning new things and processing information
- Memory and reasoning
- Concentration
- Depression, anxiety, personality changes, aggression, acting out and social inappropriateness
Contact the On With Life Team
Susan Fitzpatrick, Paediatric Education and Support Facilitator
29 Cahereens West
Castleisland
County Kerry
t: +353 86 107 3182
e: susanfitzpatrick@abiireland.ie
Support Groups
Our support groups give parents and carers an opportunity to share information and experiences, and to support each other in a safe, non-judgemental environment. The groups are facilitated by members of our skilled staff team, ensuring that groups run to the highest standards.
If you are newly impacted by an acquired brain injury, you will benefit from hearing from families with more lived experience, as they share information and talk about the coping skills they used to support themselves through this change in their lives. Through the groups, parents and carers experience a sense of community, improved mental wellbeing and reduced feelings of isolation.
We also offer participants helpful actions that they can take to support themselves and their family.
‘On With Life’ support groups take place online. They are open to anyone in Ireland caring for a loved one with brain injury. You are all welcome.
Education and Information Sessions
Throughout the year, our ‘On With Life’ team hosts online information and education sessions to support parents and carers as they cope with the challenges of brain injury. We provide guidance on steps to take to keep yourself healthy, physically and emotionally. We also offer practical tips, strategies and resources to deal with the challenges you may be facing.
Training workshops are also provided to educate staff in school, health or social care settings, so that they can provide the best support possible to children with an acquired brain injury.
As a member of ‘On With Life’ these sessions are available free of charge and nationwide. We update our website with upcoming events on an ongoing basis. We will also send event details to members directly by email.
Join On With Life
When you register to join ‘On With Life’ we will ask you to complete a form so that we can contact you with information about upcoming support groups, information sessions, and wellbeing activities. We will also arrange a phone call with you to learn more about your needs, and how the programme can help.
On With Life Events
Members' Facebook Group
Join the ‘On With Life’ members’ Facebook Group to connect with other parents and carers of children and young people under 18 living with an acquired brain injury. The Group is a private, safe space to share experiences and information with one another.
Video Resources for Parents and Carers
What Do Families Need After Brain Injury?
Dr Mark Holloway, Social Worker and Case Manager, shares a talk for families after brain injury and asks the question, ‘what do families need’?
Recovery, Resilience and Reconfiguration
Dr Brian McClean, Principal Clinical Psychologist at Acquired Brain Injury Ireland discusses brain injury recovery, the resilience we need to respond to challenging events, and how this can help us grow stronger.
Helping People Communicate Better after Brain Injury
Dr Nicholas Behn, Speech and Language Therapist has worked with people with brain injury since 1999. He explains how we can help survivors communicate better after brain injury.
Unique Factors Associated with Acquired Brain Injury
Dr Mark Holloway, Social Worker and Case Manager, discusses the unique impacts of an acquired brain injury on the person and their family.
The On With Life Programme for Parents and Carers of Under 18s is funded by:
