Our staff and residents were honoured to welcome Minister Hildegarde Naughton, TD to our Midlands service and assisted living residence, ‘Teach Fáilte’, in Mountbolus, Co Offaly, on Wednesday morning, 21st May 2025.

During her visit, the Minister had an opportunity to learn more about the community-based rehabilitation services we offer in the Midlands region, which covers counties Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath.

She met people who had been directly impacted by acquired brain injury and heard about their lived experiences of recovery and rehabilitation.

Minister Naughton described the value of neurorehabilitation services like those provided by ABI Ireland.

“In Government we understand that an acquired brain injury can have life-long and life-changing impacts for the person, as well as for their family. Timely, personalised neurorehabilitation can support those affected to increase their independence, maximise their ability, and participate as active citizens in our society.”

“In the Programme for Government, we have committed to implementing community-based neurorehabilitation services in every Regional Health Area. This is an important step to ensure that survivors of brain injury right across the country are supported all along the pathway, from acute hospital to home.”

An estimated 19,000 people in Ireland acquire a brain injury every year. Through a range of community-based neurorehabilitation services, we support as many of them as possible to return to leading more independent lives.

In the Midlands, our organisation provides neurorehabilitation in our assisted living house, Teach Fáilte, one-to-one and group rehabilitation in home and community settings, a case management service to support survivors and family members to navigate the complex recovery journey, in addition to neuropsychology, social work and occupational therapy. We also recently acquired a state-of-the-art and universally accessible house in Mullingar – a property gifted to us by the late Eoghan Doherty, who previously received our services.

Paula O Meara, who suffered a brain injury as a result of an aneurysm, is supported by our team in her hometown of Tullamore:

“Having a brain injury turned my life and the lives of my family upside down overnight. When I was discharged from hospital I had to adjust to a very different way of life. My memory and my mobility were impaired. I had difficulty with walking and constant fatigue, but my biggest hurdle was that my family members didn’t understand. Because I was so fatigued I would sleep a lot and, to them, I was lazy.

People often stopped me to tell me I look great, but I knew myself I was not the person I once was. Since my brain injury, I’ve had to work on my filter because I would say things out loud that could be almost insulting, but I would not mean it.”

Paula highlighted that having access to ongoing rehabilitation support from ABI Ireland in her own community has been a lifeline:

“My husband Dinny who never left my side has now gone back to work, which shows me that he has confidence in me going out alone, walking independently each day, meeting friends and getting my life back. With ABI Ireland supports, my social battery has returned. Due to education from the ABI team, my family also now have a better understanding of the effects of my brain injury.  I’m thankful to ABI Ireland, and so happy to be alive.”

Our Director of Service Operations, Catherine Lacey describes the comprehensive service in the Midlands as a model for other counties where neurorehabilitation services are significantly less resourced.

“We are delighted to have been able to welcome Minister Naughton to Mountbolus today.

We know that our partners in Government and the HSE understand the need for specialist, community-based neurorehabilitation. At Teach Fáilte, the Minister will have seen first-hand the quality of the services we can deliver, and the tangible benefits for the people we serve as they navigate life after brain injury.”

“The case management service here in the Midlands plays a pivotal role in reducing these risks, and yet the service is completely unavailable in more than half the country. This inequity – a lottery based on where a person lives – need not exist. With a relatively minor investment from Government, we could extend our case management service nationwide.

We are committed to campaigning strongly for this investment, and look forward to working closely with the Minister and all our partners, to ensure that the needs of all brain injury survivors, and their right to rehabilitation as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, can be realised.”