Affiliations: [a] Keiron & Montreal Neurofeedback Center, Montreal, QC, Canada | [b] Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, Denmark Hill, London, UK
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Davide Pierini, Keiron & Montreal Neurofeedback Center, Queen Elizabeth Health Complex, suite 350, 2100 Marlowe, Montreal, Quebec H4A 3L5, Canada. Tel.: +1 514 481 7867; Fax: +1 514 933-6318; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Background:Individuals with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) could benefit from further cognitive rehabilitation, after they have returned home. However, a lack of specialist services to provide such rehabilitation often prevents this. This leads to reduced reintegration of patients, increased social disadvantages and ultimately, higher economic costs. Method:10 months post-stroke, a 69 year-old woman was discharged from an inpatient rehabilitation program and returned home with severe cognitive impairments. We describe a pilot project which provided an individualised, low cost rehabilitation program, supervised and trained by a neuropsychologist. Progress was monitored every 3 months in order to decide on continuation of the program, based on the achieved results and predicted costs. Results:Post intervention, despite severe initial impairment, cognitive and most notably daily functioning had improved. Although the financial investment was moderately high for the family, the intervention was still considered cost-effective when compared with the required costs of care in a local non-specialist care home. Moreover, the pilot experience was used to build a “local expert team” available for other individuals requiring rehabilitation. Conclusions:These results encourage the development of similar local “low cost” teams in the community, to provide scientifically-grounded cognitive rehabilitation for ABI patients returning home.
