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LAST UPDATE | 28 Nov 2024
NO ONE EVER thinks a brain injury will happen to them, but it happens to 19,000 people in this country each year – that’s 52 people every single day. Globally, neurological conditions – including acquired brain injury (ABI) – are now the leading cause of ill health and disability.
Brain injuries happen overnight. It could be as the result of a stroke, a fall, road traffic collision or brain tumour, among many other causes. In an instant, the lives of the person and their family are turned upside down.
The effects of any brain injury are life-changing. Some people live with long-term challenges – many hidden, others not: chronic fatigue, loss of sight or speech, memory loss, difficulty managing emotions, reduced capacity to work, or carry out everyday activities like cooking, washing and managing family life.
Advances in medical care and technology have resulted in more people surviving the trauma of a brain injury, but survival is just the beginning of a long and often complex recovery journey.
Acquiring a brain injury means adjusting to an entirely new way of living and finding ways to cope with a range of psychological, physical, social, emotional and economic consequences.
For these reasons and many more, timely neuro-rehabilitation is of the essence.
Neuro-rehabilitation is a clinical and social process to help recovery after a brain injury. It is about relearning, compensating and regrowth, so the person lives a meaningful life of their own choosing – the WHO describes it as a problem-solving process. Each person is assessed, a personalised plan is put in place and, gradually, they are supported by an expert team to regain independence and adapt to their environment.
We know that life after a brain injury can be so much better if the person has access to the rehabilitation they need as soon as possible. Research tells us that “early access to specialised, intensive neuro-rehabilitation services enables people with ABI to recover faster and achieve the best outcome for them, their families and society at large.”
Timely access shortens the length of hospital stays, and reduces the burden of care on families, and the cost to the state. Most importantly, it lessens the impact of the brain injury and maximises the potential of the person to rebuild a new life.
It is well documented that neuro-rehabilitation is a necessary part of recovery and adjustment. But despite all the evidence, neuro-rehabilitation services in Ireland continue to be substantially under-resourced.
While some recent and welcome investment has been made in short-term, post-acute services, the reality is that there is still very limited neuro-rehabilitation available to survivors, especially over the long-term in the community. Even the Government’s national neuro-rehabilitation strategy acknowledges that “services in the area of neuro-rehabilitation have been underdeveloped in Ireland and where they exist, they have been developed in an ad hoc manner”.
The result, for survivors and their families, is a lottery of age and geography where access to rehabilitation and potential for recovery depends on where you live, or how well your family can advocate for services. This is a fundamental contravention of the human right to rehabilitation as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
Brain injury survivors in this country are faced with the real possibility that, instead of living the life they’ve fought for, they will be left merely to exist. At one of the most vulnerable times in their lives, they and their families find themselves alone, lost and overwhelmed on a fragmented pathway between hospital and home.
Some stay months, or even years in hospital beds waiting for a rehabilitation placement. Others are discharged without a plan for follow-up supports, to homes that are not accessible and with families unable to cope. Young survivors are still being placed inappropriately in nursing homes for older people because there is simply no alternative available. Once there, there is no equitable system in place to review and support their case. Behind closed institutional doors, many are forgotten about.
However there are solutions to the pathway problem, and sustainable state investment in long-term neuro-rehabilitation is one of the cornerstones.
Currently, 21 brain injury survivors previously placed in nursing homes are living in Acquired Brain Injury Ireland community-based houses with 24/7 specialist rehabilitation support. Our Case Managers and rehabilitation teams have supported 41 more to transition out of nursing homes back to community living. Some of them have since moved into their own homes.
Over two years, our vocational rehabilitation programme supported 234 survivors: 53% returned to work, 21% to education. All of them are making a meaningful contribution to the communities of which they are a part.
Our Clubhouses, providing group rehabilitation, promote independence and offer members structure, community and camaraderie. Education resources and peer support groups are available to families and carers coming to terms with a new way of life.
With access to ongoing neuro-rehabilitation it is possible for survivors of brain injury to rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. But it must be available on an equitable basis for everyone who needs it.
And ultimately – what is the alternative? Incidences of ABI will continue to increase in the years to come in line with increased survival rates. So too – as the evidence shows – will demand for neuro-rehabilitation. It is incumbent on those elected to our next Dáil to address the lack of political priority and slow policy implementation process in this area to date, described in research as the “inhumane mistake of many national governments”.
In advance of Friday’s vote, we at Acquired Brain Injury Ireland are calling on candidates to fight for the lives of brain injury survivors. We are asking them to commit in the Programme for Government to fully implement the Neuro-rehabilitation Framework 2019-2021. We want to see our elected representatives:
In the course of our election campaigning, we spoke to author and survivor Phil Quinlan who described his lived experience after suffering a traumatic brain injury on the football field at the age of 15. To this day he asks if he could have achieved so much more, had the system kept him and supported him.
He talks about the impact on his parents who took over his rehabilitation when he was discharged from hospital, ‘left to his own devices’. And he affirms – as we know too well from our work in the field – that “After the devastation of a brain injury when families have their loved one back home, they’re emotionally so relieved and simply exhausted that often they don’t have the energy to seek help.”
On behalf of Phil, and the 120,000 other people in Ireland living with a disability after brain injury, we invite you to support our campaign ahead of this Friday’s election. Please ask the candidates in your locality if they will ‘fight for the lives’ of brain injury survivors and sustain vital rehabilitation services. None of us know when we may need the support.
Dr Karen Foley is the CEO of Acquired Brain Injury Ireland.
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Goodbye Phantom, you were good back in the day when you actually played exciting independent music. Now you’re as bland as every other commercial music station. What a pity.
Phantom failed because it’s too mainstream? How does that make any sense?
Go home Beatrice, you’re drunk. :)
She has a point. If you want to listen to mainstream radio, there are plenty of options, and they would be done far better than Phantom. Phantom is supposed to cover a niche music interest. Were it to actually address this area, it *might* stand a better chance of success.
Alternative music???
I’m afraid Bilderberger Dennis (O’Brien), Commuinicorp’s
(and Today FM’s)
(and Newstalk’s)
(and IRadio’s)
(And Spin Radio’s)
(and 98 FM’s)
(And the Indo’s)
(And the Herlad’s)
owner and Seanie Fitz’s BFF
has other plans for what he wants you to listen too.
A few good Pirate’s would sort that out though.
Wouldn’t it Dennisconi??
Any crack in Harto’s these days Dennis?
You can hardly call Phantom mainstream. It already is niche. If it were to become even more niche it would have failed sooner.
Phantom is in decline not because it doesn’t play enough independent music. It’s in decline because Garth Brooks can sell out 5 nights in Croke Park. Look at the current charts and they’ll also show you why Phantom failed. To say Phantom failed because it’s too mainstream makes no sense. If it went even more left field it would have failed even quicker.
RIP Phantom – the only station that played decent music.
Well said, couldn’t agree more.
Great comment.
Great station and a real shame its going to change. Discovered some real good irish bands throigh them. No real station to liaten to now, may turn to nova a bit more often but the rest are not for me.
This was always the case. An alternative/indie music station (run well and understanding what makes a niche music station work) was never going to challenge mainstream music fans’ tastes. I would guess that Phantom’s target was 5% of listener figures in the Dublin area. By being simply another Nova, it was never going to succeed. It may also have failed had it tried sticking to its original remit, but I have a feeling we will never know for sure.
It didn’t help that the breakfast slot which probably accounts for a large share of listenership has been pure muck for the last year or more.
It’s a shame because it was a great station and there is some real talent there. Richie and Richie in particular deserve to go on and do better things.
Putting Richie and Richie in the breakfast slot would probably halt the station’s decline instantly.
They can’t have been all that great if they can’t even make enough money to keep a staff employed.
I have to say I’m gutted to see phantom struggle and eventually fail. It was the only credible music station left. The fact Nova is doing so well is beyond me, all they play is the same power rock crap that appeals to those on nostalgia trips, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, boston etc… Played day in and day out!
Maybe if Ireland hadn’t suffered the mass emigration it has in recent years I reckon a large proportion of Phantoms target listeners are sadly living/working abroad.
You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about.
He’s right with regards to the drivel played on nova. Terrible presenters too who don’t know their arse from their elbow when it comes to music.
JNLR figures tell quite a different story, as does the fact that Phantom can’t find a solid footing while Nova is a younger station and very much established.
You clearly don’t know how to contribute to an ” opinion” based comment thread.
When you say Nova plays only the old tunes, you’re wrong. There are various programmes on the station airing new music from all around the country. The presenters are solid, fun and know their business. Opining in such a way as to suggest another station with the same aim – to offer an alternative to mainstream – survives on the nostalgic preferences harbourbered by listeners is deeply incorrect. Finally, maybe it’s unusual but gathering information before forming an opinion is kinda interesting, you should try it.
I woke up yesterday and as usual turned on nova and the first three songs were aerosmith tom petty and oasis. The newest was 18 yrs old. I like nova but not all day….they play grandad rock….i wished they played dad rock it wud be a vast improvement!
Didn’t they fire loads of staff relatively recently? They seem to be chronically badly mismanaged, and there are some terrible shows with some presenters showing little or no chemistry with each other. The two Richies are great though, and that Friday night show is something I will always try to listen to. I still miss Pearl on Sunday mornings.
They seem determined to hang on to some lousy presenters while happy to lose other vastly more talented ones. Pearl was great. I loved Cinerama. I still mourn Sinister Pete. The Richies are fantastic and I hope they survive the shake up.
Xfm tried for the license years ago and lost out to Phantom.
They should sell the licence to Xfm and let them try make a success out of being an alternative radio station.
I have listened to Phantom since it’s pirate days, and whilst it may not be as good as it once was, it’s a damn sight better than the others.
They have put me on to a load of new music throughout the years. No chance of hearing The Wild Beasts, Eels, Vaccines, Bombay Bicycle Club etc travelling to and from work on FM104 etc.
RIP Phantom, I wish all the staff in there the very best.
Phantom has been a disaster for a few years now. They basically decided to turn it in Rock 104fm (showing my age). It was a cynical ploy to overly commercialise the station. I stopped listening a while back when I realised I hadn’t discovered any new bands in ages. Saying it’s down to the Garth Brookes squad is deluded, there is enough non mainstream stuff to support a station like phantom but Denis O’Brien decided against it.
There’s plenty of quality stuff on Phantom but it tends to get pushed to the outer regions of the schedule while the more bland stuff clogs up the daytime. Late night Phantom can still be great.
Problem is that the playlist they use is too short, it wouldn’t be uncommon to hear the same tracks 3 or 4 times in the same afternoon. It’s still the best station in Dublin for music, John Caddell is a pleasure to listen to. My fear is that the people of Dublin’s musical tastes are probably too mainstream. Garth Brookes sold out 5 nights in Croke Park, so there is a possibility the station may need to go closer to Radio Nova to get the audience, sad but might be true.
As soon as communicorp took over it nose dived. They tried to change it… Such a good station. So sad that it’s ending.
TuneIn. Whole world of music out there.
Metal notes
I’m gonna miss Phantom.It’s radio so you’re at mercy of someone else’s tastes but i’ve discovered a lot of great contemporary music through Phantom,stuff that i would certainly have missed out on.
Preferred The Pirate Xfm now XfmDublin.com in its hey day. The 90s pirates were great. Xfm, Jazz Radio, Sunshine and Phantom.
What’s the bets Joe Donnelly will keep his job after the re-brand though?
Typical Jobs for the boys stuff that he is not one of the 20 DJs to go despite the fact that very few people rate him as a DJ on that station.
A poor fit for Phantom from day one of his appointment
How he is still kept on there while others who have been there far longer and are much better at what they do are given the bullet is a joke.
I perceive this to be typical cronyism & would be nice to get some clairifiaction as to why he was spared whilst the likes of the two Richies & Derek Byrne, Wil St Ledger etc get the boot
Him & Keith Walsh were appalling breakfast show DJs for a station like Phantom. A real low ebb for the place when they returned (I recall them not being much better back in the pirate days too)
Reading out crappy text messages from half wits and get into silly Facebook and Twitter spats with anyone who dared criticism them was truly painful stuff to contend with in the mornings. Sub Hector/ FM104 style ‘Bants’
Maybe this sort of stuff worked on Spin or iBallygobackwards radio in Athlone or wherever but it certainly didn’t on a niche alt music station like Phantom as the JNLR ratings would testify.
RIP Phantom & the very best of luck to all the other staff who will sadly lose their jobs come March.
Sadly Phantom has been creaking for a while, I think when they were based upstairs in Whelans it somehow came through in the music. As for a new name, before Phantom there was Spectrum…if only we could get back to that
continuing “to deliver an alternative music service for young Dubliners”.
if you live in dublin do you become a dubliner?? yikes
I used to listen to Phantom when it was pirate and after that when they got the licence. In recent years I stopped, as all they seemed to play anymore were the Foo Fighters (who I can’t stand) and the likes of. Now I listen online to Raidio na Life, the Irish language station for Dublin at 106.4. Their music programmes e.g. Neuromancer are eclectic and first-rate. Katie Kim – from Waterford? I heard her there first.
Spot on Ricoard- Radio na Life is great and has been since its inception over 20 years ago.
Time for Phantom to go back to piracy!
…and potentially to relevance?
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