Meath mother slams HSE over handling of son"s brain injury

A Meath mother whose son suffered a brain injury 20 years ago says that her son"s condition is worsening because of inadequate services. The woman, whose son is now 40 years old, says she and her husband are now in their sixties and are still trying to cope with the consequences of the injury, caring for their son, making ends meet and at the same time constantly struggling with the HSE for services. Her son cannot be named because he is a ward of court. She is angry that when she recently complained about the lack of services, a HSE official said he was seeking advice regarding their son"s eligibility for disability services. The family"s lives changed forever 20 years ago, when their son suffered a severe brain injury in a road accident in 1988. He was discharged from the National Rehabilitation Hospital in 1989 and was 'left at home to vegetate'. 'When we could find no services here, we had to make arrangements for him to receive dedicated brain injury rehab in the UK and he spent two and a half years there, in two different centres at a cost of £150,000.' This sum had to be taken from the meagre settlement which he received after the accident and took all the funds designated for his future care. His mother says he received no support or funding from the Health Board or HSE. 'We have struggled desperately to ensure that he lives as independently as possible,' she said. He doesn"t have the services of a psychologist, despite this being recommended many times. A psychologist who worked with him once a week finished last January and he has not received any psychology services since. 'The rehabilitation assistant earmarked to work with him resigned and the HSE are unable to replace him in the current financial climate. There is only one physical and sensory occupational therapist for the county, who is only able to respond in emergency situations,' she said. 'His mobility and independence are deteriorating, putting his fragile independence at risk,' she said. His mother believes that her son"s case is not unique and that there are many families in similar circumstances throughout the county. She believes that cutbacks over the past few years have lead to a loss of services in the day-to-day lives of people with disabilities. She points out that the Disability Federation of Ireland has warned that budget cutbacks will see voluntary organisations receiving six per cent less next year that they received this year.