Centre Days

Centre Days run from 10am-2.30pm twice per week (Tuesday and Thursday) at our base in Guildford, this is the main gateway service to our clients.  Clients attend on a regular set day every week. Fantastic peer support, social interaction and stimulation. 

Centre Days provide specialist services and support aimed at improving the quality of life for ABI survivors and covers 3 areas.

1.  Enablement – The main objective of the centre day is to provide an opportunity for survivors to relearn or regain skills that have been compromised due to adult acquired brain injury.  Attendance is usually within the first 3 years of injury by survivors who are able to identify and work towards their own recovery goals.  Their progress will be measured. 

2.  Maintenance – Long-term slow stream therapy. Centre Days provide an opportunity for survivors who have longer term ongoing or chronic needs to work towards goals or continue with activities that help them to maintain their current skills; quality of life; independence; autonomy and wellbeing. Attendance is usually after the first 3 years of injury and may take place many years after the injury. Research evidences that brain injury is a significant barrier to social integration for many survivors, even after 10 years[1] and asserts that skills which aren’t practiced are likely to be lost, leading to a higher dependency on statutory services and reduced opportunity for autonomy, independence and wellbeing[2].

3. Respite – The main objective is to allow the survivor to benefit from independence and stimulation away from their usual family/carers and residence. Providing a break for survivors and their carers may help to sustain households and support families to cope with the unwelcome challenges and changes that brain injury can bring[3]. Survivors accessing this placement may have significant behavioural outcomes that can present challenges in a non-specialist setting.

[1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699050802158243
[2] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Self-reported-long-term-needs-after-stroke.-McKevitt-Fudge/0ed79b80f9583695dedcbd6aa17c2c469d6e44a7
[3] https://www.archives-pmr.org/article/S0003-9993(11)01063-X/fulltext

The Day

Session 1 - 10am
Individual worksheet exercises tailored to individual needs. 

Session 2
Group brain injury education covering the cognitive skills impacted by an ABI, such as attention, memory and information processing, and executive skills such as decision making, planning, problem solving, insight and emotional regulation. Physical, communication or behavioural difficulties are also discussed.

Explanatory educational slides may accompany the session, giving examples and solutions to problems that you may encounter, helping you to think about your own situation and how best to deal with things, and learning from hearing how others cope.  The sessions include interactive process training tasks to practise some cognitive skills.  Different strategies will be discussed in order to improve your well being and independence. 

Other activities may be held during this time for variety, for example creative writing, seated exercise, special planning projects, gardening, returning to work and guest speakers.

Lunch Hour - 12 noon
A social time to enjoy your packed lunch with the group.  Free time for general conversation, do a crossword puzzle, read a newspapers, play pool or sit in the garden. 

Session 3 - 1pm
Afternoon sessions of board games, baking, discussions, art, crafts, seated boccia and occasional guest speakers. 

2.30pm finish