The conference was well attended, and enjoyed by all.  It provided much to think about. The following is a report from Tessa Craythorne, Serious Injury Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, reproduced with our thanks.

It was an excellent opportunity to get together with like-minded professionals and hear from wonderful speakers specialising in the world of brain injury.

Hosted by Sarah Giggs (Irwin Mitchell) – chair of ABIL – the conference encouraged us to think differently about rehabilitation and consider less conventional therapies as a way of maximising our clients’ gains. 

The importance of rehabilitation

Anyone who has ever worked in the brain injury space will know the benefits of more traditional rehabilitation, involving such as neuropsychology, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy or neuropsychiatry. The conference invited us to think more holistically about rehabilitation and certainly left me reflecting on my approach. 

The conference programme can be downloaded here

How fatigue affects brain injury survivors

Our first speaker was Dr Trudi Edginton, clinical neuropsychologist and Reader in Cognitive Neuroscience at City St George’s University of London. Dr Edginton’s talk focused on how practising mindfulness can aid recovery. 

Fatigue is a well-known symptom in brain injury survivors and it’s easy to underestimate the impact it can have. Dr Edginton reminded us that fatigue is not just tiredness but complete mental and physical exhaustion. It can lead to frustration and a lower tolerance for managing stressful situations. She shared with us how mindfulness can reduce stress and encourage more active participation in other activities. 

Dr Edington spoke about our collective tendency to be a ‘magnet’ for negativity but ‘Teflon’ for positivity. She encouraged us to ‘be more zebra’ by removing negative thoughts and reflecting on our own actions with non-judgemental curiosity. Whilst her talk was aimed at rehabilitation post-brain injury, I’m sure that this resonated with everyone in the room.

Dr Edington’s presentation can be downloaded here Cultivating Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience following ABI

The benefits of reflexology 

Our next speaker was Ana Angarita, complementary therapist lead at St Raphael’s Hospice. 

Ana spoke to us about the benefits of reflexology. For the novices like me, reflexology explores how different parts of the body are mapped to your face, hands, feet and ears. 

It has numerous benefits, including stress reduction, increasing blood flow, stimulating serotonin and dopamine, increasing focus and memory retention.

She shared with us an example of a patient who was in pain on a daily basis. He had been referred for reflexology and was initially sceptical that it would have any impact on his pain. Ana saw him for a number of sessions and, by his third sessions, he was converted, describing how the time he spent with her allowed him to be pain free for a short while. 

Ana Angarita’s presentation can be downloaded here Thinking on your feet – the connection between feet and brain and how reflexology can help you

Creative arts and rehab

Some of our speakers encouraged us to think about the creative arts as a form of rehabilitation.

Dr Hayley Wright and Dr Aimee Walker-Clarke spoke to us about their research exploring non-traditional means of communicating autonomy and consent. Their research project, Hope4ABI, focuses on sexual wellbeing and intimacy.  They spoke about how often it is assumed that people who have suffered a brain injury do not have capacity to consent to sex. This may be because there is a lack of dialogue around the subject, because of safeguarding concerns or because the patient cannot communicate in expected ways. 

Hope4ABI’s research moves away from the traditional and explores ways to help people who cannot communicate verbally. It is co-designed by the people who it affects, as they feel this is crucial to their research. Dr Wright and Dr Walker-Clarke introduced us to their latest research project, which focuses on dance as a communication tool. 

Drs Wright and Walker-Clarke’s presentation can be downloaded here Yes / No / Maybe: Communicating autonomy and consent through expressive
arts’

Dance wasn’t the only creative art that we heard about. We also heard from Nicky a brain injury survivor who was left unable to express herself creatively. She had worked as an artist and her brain injury prevented her from engaging with her art. She described feeling like her brain wasn’t connected to her body. She spoke about her time with Chiltern Music Therapy; how music helped her reconnect with her creativity and allowed her to return to making art. This was something that was crucially important for her, as she felt that ‘life without creative force is no life at all’. 

Benefits of ‘green prescription’ 

Last but certainly not least, we heard from Mark Burr, Founding Director of Wild Times Woodland Adventures. Wild Times is a community interest company that operates from a 10-acre area of woodland in Kent and has a vision of reconnect people with nature. 

Mark spoke about the importance of a ‘green prescription’ and the tranquillity of the woods. Mark has worked in the outdoors for over 20 years and has helped many people who have struggled to engage in their rehabilitation. 

He provided examples of how woodworking has given his clients a sense achievement as well as pride in their creations and an increase in confidence. Mark spoke about how he has worked with people who have lost their jobs or become isolated as a result of brain injury. Wild Times has provided them with a way back into socialising and a sense of purpose. The positive impact has also been seen away from the woods as Mark described how he often sees his clients’ engagement in other activities improve. 

Mark Burr’s presentation can be downl0aded here Nature for the Neurons: An insight into Woodland Therapy

The afternoon ended with a screening of Headway East London’s latest film ‘The Magic of Chaos’. The documentary follows the journeys of four day centre members and provides a glimpse into life at Headway East London, which brings light into those whose lives have been changed by brain injury. It can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETnOoSzq0cc  It was a very uplifting end to a wonderfully thought provoking conference. I cannot wait for the next one. 

Tessa Craythorne