The first residence to provide assisted living for people with acquired brain injury was opened in Dublin yesterday.
The Anvers centre in Glenageary was set up by the voluntary Peter Bradley Foundation and the East Coast Area Health Board.
About 13,000 people sustain a traumatic brain injury in this State every year and some cannot live independently because of this. Many of the injuries are caused in traffic accidents to men below 35.
Medical advances mean that more people survive these injuries but they often find they cannot resume their lives as previously, or even return home.
The Peter Bradley Foundation was set up by Mr Bradley's family after he sustained two serious brain injuries as a young man. When he could no longer live alone, his only viable option was a nursing home for older people.
On realising this, his family set up the foundation in 2000. In partnership with the health board, his home, Anvers, was adapted for him and two other people with acquired brain injuries.
Mr Tony Fox, vice-chairman of the East Coast Area Health Board, said the centre would provide "independence and dignity" to people with such injuries.
The foundation aims to open eight centres around the State in the next three years.
Ms Barbara O'Connell, the foundation's chief executive, said she hoped other health boards would offer the same support to the foundation. She said the emphasis of the centre was on independent living, based on individual need.
