Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) team
Our ABI team offers community-based rehabilitation for adults following acquired brain injury. We work closely with people following brain injury and with wider ABUHB and South-Wales services (e.g. Outpatient Physiotherapy, Neuropsychiatry, Headway) to provide them with maximum opportunities and potential for rehabilitation.
Who is the service for?
We support people aged 16 and over who have a diagnosis of mild or moderate acquired brain injury (e.g. injuries through accidents, subarachnoid haemorrhage, hypoxic or anoxic brain damage, encephalitis, infection, or tumour). People who are referred to us need to be able to mobilise or transfer independently if living alone or with the assistance of one or two therapists.
When do we see people?
Our ABI service aim to begin working with a person at the point where they are considered for discharge from hospital. This process usually begins with an assessment with one of our clinicians to establish their needs/goals. The assessment can take place whilst still in hospital, or in their home following discharge. Rehabilitation goals are set with the person as part of the assessment, and therapy sessions are then timetabled each week, working towards these. Goals are regularly reviewed, and we work closely with outpatient services and external agencies to ensure consistent and appropriate interventions are being offered.
Sometimes, people need some time to settle back home before they are ready to start their rehabilitation. If this is the case, someone from the team will keep in touch with the person or their family during this adjustment period.
How long do we see people for?
Our ABI service works with people for as long as they have appropriate and agreed rehabilitation goals that they are making progress toward, to support them to manage as independently as possible in the community. We use a variety of goal building and self-management promoting approaches, including the Bridges and Care Aims approaches. Goal progression is regularly reviewed and whether CNRS is the most appropriate service to be supporting an individual to reach each goal (for example, it may be more appropriate for a goal to be supported through outpatient services instead, or through ongoing self-management by the individual). After discharge, we may accept re-referrals over the following 12 months should an individual need further support from our service.
Who can refer to us?
People are usually referred to us by hospital inpatient teams across South Wales, General Practitioners (GPs) or Neurologists. We accept requests for help from hospital settings and also accept referrals for people already living at home with a brain injury.
We recognise that sometimes it can sometimes be difficult to know who to approach for support of someone with a brain injury. We are therefore very happy to take calls from services or professionals to discuss someone you are working with who you think might benefit from our support.
Please note: We do not provide brain injury diagnosis. If you or someone you are working with are seeking a medical diagnosis of brain injury, you will need to approach your GP or a Neurologist, who can assess your condition first before considering rehabilitation support.