Most case managers are now making referrals to residential programmes, replacing the ‘virtual first’ approach adopted over the last four months, according to a survey by Calvert Reconnections, a neurorehabilitation residential centre in the Lake District.
One in ten case managers said they’re making referrals to residential-based programmes now, while 70 percent said they expect to be doing so in the next three months. Only five percent said they won’t be making the transition back to offline programmes for at least six months.
However, the survey of 152 case managers also found that 85 percent feel that virtual treatment has been essential for meeting their clients’ rehab and mental health needs over the lockdown period.
As the government lifts restrictions, services across the UK, including local Headway groups, are beginning to introduce socially distanced meetings outside.
Almost nine out of 10 case managers anticipate an increase in the use of outdoor activities in rehabilitation plans for brain injured patients, according to Calvert Reconnections’ survey.
Amy Burns, clinical lead at Calvert Reconnections, said: “As the lockdown eases, brain injury case managers are looking beyond virtual rehabilitation. There is considerable support from medical research for the notion that outdoor activity is beneficial to brain injury rehabilitation.”
