Overview

Headway Oxfordshire offers support and information to carers and families of those with an acquired brain injury, from early diagnosis and throughout the various stages of rehabilitation. In addition to the variety of practical services on offer we also help to facilitate peer support groups and breaks for carers, from the everyday responsibility of their caring role.

 

Respite

As a carer of someone with an acquired brain injury, you will need time for yourself and time to do those things you are unable to achieve whilst engaged in your caring role. We understand this at Headway Oxford and to help make this possible we offer a respite service.

 

We provide a safe environment, with experienced staff, where your dependant's individual needs can be met. Our activity and rehabilitation centre is centrally located in Kennington, Oxford. Through our centre, your dependant will have access to a range of activities and services to meet their needs . We encourage socialisation and peer support with the aim of reducing anxiety and increasing confidence. Service users can share their experiences in an environment of understanding, with an emphasis on fun. Structured individual programs enable clients to access any or all services and therapies which may include: 

• Physiotherapy
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Memory Workshops
• Brain Gym
• Yoga Therapy
• Tai Chi
• Specialist Computer Software
• Access to Computer Suite
• Art as Therapy
• Music as Therapy
• Digital Music Workshops
• Games and quizzes etc...

If you would like to discuss what we can do for you at our centres please call 01865 326263

Carer support program

Awaiting further development and funding.

Community Support

(A BIG Lottery Project)

Our Community Workers can support individuals with ABI (including stroke and some other neurological conditions) across the county of Oxfordshire from early diagnosis and throughout the various stages of rehabilitation. This also includes support for carers, families and other professionals as necessary.

Community Workers can meet the individual and / or their carers in a hospital setting, in a public place (such as cafes) or can make home visits. They will listen to what support you are looking for and react to those needs. Community Workers can provide support in a number of areas including:

• Information; such as publications produced by Headway
• Information on Headway services
• Signposting to other organisations for specialist support; such as benefits
• To participate in activities; such as joining a gym or art group
• Helping people back to employment (Voluntary or Paid)
• Liaise between you and Health Care professional / Social Workers
• And much much more………………………….

 

Vocational Support

Getting back on track and returning to "normality" is paramount to those affected by acquired brain injury. Returning to a previous job is a very clear objective for many, whilst for others it may be that they wish to engage in a new opportunity. We understand these desires and offer support to try to make this a reality. 

Headway Oxfordshire's vocational worker is available to offer the support necessary to get as close to this goal as possible. At the point that it is felt that your dependant is ready to be return to the workplace, either in a voluntary capacity or paid, or to engage in  education or training opportunities, our assistance can be request. 

An initial meeting will take place to enable us to establish what assistance is needed. Then, in agreement with you and your dependant, we will create an individual enablement plan, that lays out a clear pathway for us all to follow, with attainable milestones that work toward the end goal.

The Vocational Worker may support with such things as: Identifying personal skills

• Writing a CV
• Writing covering letters for applications
• Searching and applying for paid employment or volunteering posts
• Liaising with employers
• Continuing to offer support once back in the workplace (both paid and voluntary)
• Providing links to local colleges and volunteer bureaus
• Offering basic computer training
• Signposting to other services that may be of assistance

Headway Oxfordshire will also shortly be offering a 'Back to Work' training programme. For more information please contact us.

To download a Headway Oxfordshire referral form, please click here

Causes of Brain Injury

Brain injuries (including stroke and other neurological conditions) strike people of all ages, from all walks of life and in a variety of situations. Due to enhanced knowledge and treatment more people are surviving than ever before making brain injury the fastest growing cause of disability among young people in the UK.

Did you know that:

• 49% of all brain injuries are as a result of road traffic accidents.
• 20% of brain injuries in children are caused by cycling accidents. Wearing a cycle helmet reduces the risk of severe head injury  by up to 88%.

Other causes of brain injury are:

Traumatic

• Domestic and industrial accidents
• Sport and recreation
• Assaults
• Surgical intervention

Hypoxic

• Following cardiac arrest
• Hypoglycaemic coma
• Epilepsy
• Drug overdose

Post Viral Infections

• Encephalitis
• Meningitis

The brain and its functions

Common problems after brain injury

Brain injury is often known as the "hidden disability" because the problems which arise are not always obvious to another person. Other people can see and often understand the limitations caused by a physical disability, but difficulties with thinking skills and behavioural changes are often misunderstood.
Some of the common problems are:

• Difficulties with attention and concentration
  • reduced tolerance to background noise
• Memory problems
  • forgetting what has been said
  • forgetting people's names
  • difficulties in learning new skills
  • difficulty remembering familiar routes
• Relationship difficulties - resulting from
  • physical changes
  • personality changes
  • change of role in family
• Behavioural problems
  • reduced ability to judge appropriate behaviour
  • impulsiveness
  • lack of motivation
  • loss of confidence
  • reduced ability to control anger
• Reduced executive function
  • Inability to carry out simple tasks
  • problems with planning and sequencing
• Mobility problems
  • difficulty with balance
  • difficulty with co-ordination
  • spacial awareness difficulties
• Fatigue - caused by
  • sleep disturbances
  • extra effort needed to carry out simple tasks
• Speech problems
  • word finding
  • understanding what is said

For more information on these symptoms or other aspects of brain injury please go to Headway UK.

Head Injury (the facts) - All the information you need straight from the experts.

"Head Injury" is a publication written by leading authorities in the field of neurological illness, working at the Oxfordshire Centre for Enablement. Headway Oxford is particularly well served by having a number of these specialist directly involved with our organisation and as such, we recommend this book as a concise and clear guide to understanding acquired brain injury. If you would like to purchase a copy, please contact Headway UK.

Rehablilitation

Headway has had its own statement regarding rehabilitation since the late 1980's:

'Rehabilitation is a process of change through which a brain injured person goes, seeking to regain former skills and to compensate for skills lost. Its aim is always to achieve the optimum levels of physical, cognitive and social competence followed by integration into the most suitable environment.'

The greatest visible progress occurs in the first 6 months, after which improvement is often more subtle and less obvious. But it is important to bear in mind that progress does not stop after 2 years, as has been suggested in the past. Rather people continue to improve even 5, 10 or more years after a head injury.

Rehabilitation has two stages, the first being the formal intervention to improve the individual, and the second stage is when the family and carers work to maintain that improvement. Research suggests that patients who make the best recovery are those whose family is actively involved, and can maintain this informal rehabilitation at home.