Our activity centre offers a stimulating, inclusive and varied range of services, many of which are listed on our Home page.
As well as the activities outlined in our Home page, we also offer discussion and reminiscence sessions, engaging word/memory/logic puzzle sessions, our popular Peer Group and trips out and about in usual times, including weekly ten pin bowling sessions, shopping trips, nature walks, etc.
Our aim is to offer our clients the opportunity to socialise, try new things, help re-learn lost skills and integrate into the wider community, all of which we believe positively enhances personal wellbeing. Clients themselves speak of the “real family atmosphere” here at the Centre, something of which we are immensely proud.
Assistance and support in regaining lost skills – and learning new ones.
Cognitive rehabilitation.
Opportunities to gain support from others and share experiences.
Help to address emotional and social needs.
Participation in leisure and social activities.
Respite care for families and carers.
Support towards independence.
We really are a person-centred service that understands the complexities of ‘the hidden disability’ and the problems that may arise with cognitive, memory, communication and behaviour. Each client is assessed individually, so that together, we can develop an individual learning plan for the client to support, enhance and empower their lives to the best they can be.
Do remember we always warmly welcome visits to our centre, so that you can see our facilities ‘in the flesh’. To do this, please give us a call on 01933 652311 and we can arrange a suitable date and time to show you around.
Service and Facilities
We believe that variety, safety and inclusion are all vital factors to those with an acquired brain injury.
Our clients’ families and carers can be assured that our Centre provides a welcoming, comfortable and non-judgmental environment for their loved ones during their time here. Many visitors, and clients themselves, talk of how our centre has a “real family atmosphere” – something of which we are very proud.
Our centre is ‘client-led’, and our activities and facilities are inspired by our clients’ preferences and suggestions. We aim to support clients with many different tastes, interests and abilities, and will always focus on what CAN be done, rather than what can’t.
We host some terrific social events throughout the year; for example, summer barbecues, coffee mornings at Easter and Christmas, a Christmas lunch for everyone as well as other ad-hoc events. All of these combine to support socialisation, integration into the wider community, and enhance personal wellbeing.
If you’d like to come and see these rooms and facilities for yourself ‘in the flesh’, please don’t hesitate to ask – we’d be delighted to show you around. Simply give us a call on 01933 652311, or email us at [email protected]
Community Integration Service
To compliment the services we offer at our Irthlingborough centre, the Community Integration Service is designed to provide clients with flexible and holistic support in their own home and within their community (shopping, appointments, etc).
The Community Integration Team offers a range of services including:
Assistance to regain lost skills and learn new ones
Cognitive rehabilitation
Opportunities to gain support from others and share experiences
Help to address emotional and social needs
Participation in leisure and social activities
Support for your families, carers and friends
Support towards independence
Links and introductions to other agencies
Headway East Northants is truly a person-centred service. We understand the complexities of ‘the hidden disability’ and the problems that may arise with cognition, memory, communication and behaviour. Each client is assessed individually and we develop an individual learning plan for that client to support, enhance and empower their lives to the best they can be.
Peer Group
We are proud to offer a Peer Support Group here at Headway East Northants.
This fully confidential support group offers brain injury survivors the opportunity to come together in a relaxed, safe and non-judgmental environment, and discuss any issues or anxieties relating to difficulties with mood, relationships, loss of skills, finances, or indeed anything else that may be affecting day to day life.
These sessions run at our centre each Thursday and then every other Monday - currently these sessions are being held via Zoom due to the pandemic.
For more details about our Peer Support Group, please do get in touch.
Brain Injury ID Card
Headway’s ‘Brain Injury I.D Cards’ continue to be a great asset which offers awareness and understanding for brain injury survivors within the community.
The cards are available to anyone aged 18 or over with a brain injury, and best of all, are free of charge.
These discreet, credit-card sized cards can be carried with you when out and about in public. When presented to staff, the general public or emergency services if required, it will help make others aware of your injury and support their understanding of its effects.
If you’re interested in applying for a Brain Injury ID Card, please get in touch. We can help you complete your verification and application process so that you can get your card quickly and easily.
Group Activities
Our centre offers several different group session activities on a daily basis, run by our Client Facilitators. These are largely client-led, enabling anyone to join in with any activity of interest. The sessions are friendly and informal, and offer everybody the chance to join in, without pressure, to get the very best out of the session. These sessions include:
Peer Support Group
Ten-pin bowling trips
Regular walks into town and trips out and about
Word and number puzzle sessions
Cognitive sessions
Reminiscence sessions
All of this, combined with the other services we offer (which can be looked at more closely on our Home page), go to offer our clients a stimulating and sociable time at our centre.
Support Website
A website has launched by Headway UK to ease the burden for families dealing with sudden brain injury We’re delighted to share the link to a very special, innovative website, launched by Headway UK, called “I’m Calling About Chris”.
This website is designed to help people keep family and friends regularly updated on the condition of a loved one following a brain injury. The nature of brain injury means that loved ones are spending many exhausting hours at a hospital bedside while simultaneously trying to update those who care on news and progress. This can be a highly draining experience, both physically and emotionally.
The website is very simple to use, enabling families to create an account for free, dedicated to their loved ones. Families can choose whether to make this private or accessible to all, and can choose whether to update with photos, videos, or simple texts.
The site can be reached, and a page created, from a tablet or Smartphone, and friends/family members can post their support in response.
Luke Griggs, Director of Communications at Headway UK, says:
“At Headway, we understand how difficult it can be to sit by the bedside of a loved one who is in critical care following a sudden acquired brain injury. For many families, the relief that their loved one has survived can quickly be replaced by uncertainty and fear about what the future may hold. Any remaining strength can then be sapped by making or receiving dozens of calls each evening from worried family and friends, each understandably eager for updates.”
Headway UK-sponsored holiday cottage for ABI-survivors
We’re delighted to help spread awareness of a lovely holiday cottage which is being sponsored by the national Headway UK charity, especially for those managing ABI and their families/loved ones.
The cottage, based in beautiful Pickering, North Yorkshire, offers a safe and comfortable base for ABI survivors and their families to enjoy a very well-priced break.
For further details and how to book, please get in touch with us direct either on 01933 652311 or via email at [email protected]
Overwhelmed by PIP or ESA paperwork?
Dealing with ambiguously-worded financial paperwork can be very overwhelming for those managing acquired brain injury. However, you don’t have to wade through it alone.
We can assist our clients with PIP or ESA paperwork, so if you’re finding yourself swamped or confused, do get in touch.
We’re also pleased to share that the Community Law service provides an outreach group at Irthlingborough Library (just upstairs) on the third Thursday of every month. If you think this could be helpful, let us know and we’ll be pleased to come along with you.
Sunflower lanyards - supporting those with hidden disabilities when travelling
For those with a ‘hidden’ disability, such as ABI, travelling can be a very stressful experience. Crowded, noisy, bright environments like airports or stations, or even shopping centres, can be overwhelming for an ABI survivor. That’s where these sunflower-print lanyards come in.
They’ve been specially designed to be worn by anyone who feels the need for a little extra support or time when travelling, shopping, etc.
The lanyards are recognised throughout the UK and are available to purchase cheaply online, such as Amazon or Ebay.
To find out more about sunflower lanyards, please Click Here.
