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So far Opinion Editor has created 188 blog entries.

How art unlocked a new future for brain injury survivor

Artist and art therapist Carl Arroyo, from therapy provider Chroma, shares the story of brain injury survivor Ricky, whose interest in tattoo art began a path towards a life with more possibilities.

I’ve been an art therapist for more than a decade now, and it’s an incredible way of drawing people out and allowing them to express themselves.

I started working with Ricky (not his real name) in the Spring of 2020, about a year and a half after his injury. He already had a multidisciplinary team around him, and it was felt that he needed something else to support him in adjusting to his experience and his injuries.

To be honest, Ricky wasn’t particularly interested in art as a whole, but he had a specific desire to design some tattoos based on his experience of his injury.

By |2024-07-04T17:45:48+01:007 January 2021|Therapy, News|
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Adventures in online conferencing

Merryn Dowson, of rehab goal-setting platform Goal Manager, on why the virtual conference should endure long after COVID-19’s limitations are gone.

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, the last year has been a little bit different from previous years and by ‘different’ I, of course, mean ‘online’.

Conferences have been no exception. Instead of arriving at a large hall, picking up the first of the day’s seven coffees and scanning the room for the best pens on offer, we are finishing off our morning routines and setting our out-of-office email only to sit in the same chair and log in to an online virtual conference.

In March we may have hoped that these conferences would actually happen in person and that the world would quickly get back on its axis but we soon realised that this would not be the case.

We were to access it all from our computers, perched wherever we can manage in our homes.

In August, I had my first taste of this unprecedented, socially- distanced, new-normal approach to conferences by logging on to that of the American Psychological Association (APA).
By |2024-07-04T17:54:58+01:007 January 2021|Opinion, Insight, News, Tech & industry|
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A conversation on brain injury

An acquired brain injury (ABI) can happen to anyone. It doesn't discriminate and can occur following a traumatic event such as a stroke, illness or accident.

Here personal injury expert Louise Jenkins, of Irwin Mitchell, talks to occupational therapist, Suzanna Anthony, about how she’s supporting people with memory issues through the pandemic; and what methods and tools there are to assist with memory problems that affect daily life. Louise: So how exactly can a brain injury affect memory?
By |2024-07-04T17:45:53+01:0011 December 2020|News, Legal|
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What once was a ‘hell no’ is now a ‘yes please’

Eky Popat, of BIS Services, on supporting people with brain injury in the daunting world of online dating.

Isolation, loneliness, lack of social interaction and intimacy – the social norm following the Pandemic, right? Even more so for the vulnerable like individuals living with a Brain Injury living independently in the community. The dating scene has always been an extremely daunting and challenging step with individuals battling loss of self, low self-esteem, and then on the other side of the spectrum egocentric, inappropriate behaviours, and disinhibition. What this pandemic has quickly shown us is that social interaction and relationships - what seems a distant memory is the backbone of a sense of belonging.
By |2024-07-04T17:45:54+01:005 December 2020|News, Community neuro rehab|
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Living with a spinal cord injury and maintaining good mental health during lockdown

In conjunction with Mental Health Day 2020, Irwin Mitchell organised a webinar offering valuable insights into maintaining good mental health for those affected by Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).

The speakers were a mixture of professionals and people living with a SCI. Dr Parashar Ramanuj, Consultant Psychiatrist gave an in depth clinical insight as to what a person who has recently sustained an SCI may be dealing with and what ‘coping’ really means Sophie Lester, a case manager and spinal occupational therapist provided some really helpful guidance on how to maintain good mental health alongside rehabilitation and sustaining a healthy balance.
By |2024-07-04T17:45:57+01:0019 November 2020|News, Legal|
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Osseointegration for amputees – key considerations in a schedule of loss

Richard Biggs, senior associate at Irwin Mitchell, takes a closer look at the practical benefits and cost issues related to osseointegration.

I have considered for several years as to how to plead a schedule of loss on an amputation case where a Claimant may choose to undergo osseointegration in the future. Osseointegration is described as follows:- (source London International Patient Services):“OsseoIntegration is an operative procedure used to eliminate the need for a conventional socket prosthesis”. Put simply, during osseointegration an implant is attached directly to a patient’s bone and left to protrude through the skin. It offers a rapid connection between the prosthetic limb and the stump and also provides an element of stability for the patient’s long term prosthetic use. In my experience of discussing the issues with patients who have undergone osseointegration in the past they all report that it is a lifechanging experience.
By |2024-07-04T17:46:00+01:0016 November 2020|News, Legal|
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Using art to help manage the life long effects of a brain injury

Natalie Mackenzie, of BIS Services, has worked with 'James' since 2002. In fact, he was one of her earlier clients in her career. She is immensely proud of the challenges he has overcome; not all of the effects of the accident have been surmounted, but none the less he has exceeded many expectations of medical professionals, with a will of iron and an exceptional talent that is finally being acknowledged. Here she shares the experience.

James is not defined by his brain injury, but his experiences and the challenges of his TBI have moulded his work and the individual we now see. As we are all aware, living with a severe TBI is a lifelong journey, and I still support Jim in the community, and have continued to do so whilst he has travelled around the world, through the now ‘normal’ virtual rehabilitation.

I have watched his art bring meaning and focus to his daily life, encouraging a motivation and structure that is always needed for individuals like James managing their cognition. Although there remain issues with some areas of function, James has learnt, consolidated and implemented a toolbox of strategies that support him to pursue his passion and bring joy to others.

It has been a pleasure to work with someone as driven as James, and I have seen him take a turbulent journey through his recovery, which I am sure many professionals in the field can relate with.

By |2026-02-12T07:49:22+00:0012 November 2020|Opinion, Insight, News, Community neuro rehab, BIS Services|
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Hands on to hands off

Five brain injury professionals spanning dietetics, case management, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy share what they've learnt from to shift to virtual therapy. 

At the start of the pandemic, many statutory rehab services were redeployed, and some independent therapy teams closed or therapists moved back into frontline work within the NHS and community. A group of private therapists in the North West of England started keeping in touch on social media and in weekly group support sessions to share their fears and concerns, and identify the strengths that helped them survive in such challenging times.
By |2024-07-04T17:54:59+01:006 November 2020|Therapy, Opinion, Insight|
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The Liberty Protection Safeguards explained

By Saoirse de Bont

Introduction The Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) were introduced through the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019, which received royal assent on 16 May 2019. The purpose of the LPS are to replace the existing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) regime, partly due to the substantial increase in cases which fell under the auspices of the DoLS following the Supreme Court case of Cheshire West, and partly due to criticisms of the DoLS regime, including the fact that there were many settings such as supported living placements and family homes, where people were being deprived of their liberty but the DoLS did not apply.
By |2024-07-04T17:46:03+01:006 November 2020|Legal|
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A week in the life of a cognitive rehab assistant

It’s early in the morning, I get ready, put the kettle on and…start brainstorming the plan of action for the day ahead! This routine will sound familiar to many rehabilitation assistants, as they prepare for a fulfilling and rewarding therapy session with clients.  Why is a structured routine so important in cognitive rehabilitation?

One of the main duties for a rehab assistant (RA) is to help people retrieve or maintain their independence skills by practising daily activities such as making a two-ingredient meal, doing the laundry or assist a client to wash up after having lunch. Another part of the RA role is to ensure clients are safe in their home environment. This is done by partaking in OT assessments and visiting clients’ homes to see how the settings can be adapted to help them feel secure (e.g. walk-in shower, hand rails, fire alarms etc).
By |2024-07-04T17:46:03+01:006 November 2020|News|
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