“Put Your Brain to Work” – Action for Brain Injury Week
Employers gathered at Momentum’s brain injury centre in Glasgow this month to learn about the value of employing people with acquired brain injuries. The Put Your Brain to Work event coincided with Brain Injury Week (17-23 May), the annual campaign which raises awareness of brain injury in the UK.
Delegates heard from Grant Ramsay of Sense Scotland, an organisation which has provided both work placements and jobs for people with brain injuries. Two service users also spoke about their experiences of moving back into the workforce, including 59-year-old John Barr, of Moodiesburn.
John, a former training advisor and Boys’ Brigade Captain, had doubts about whether he’d ever work again after his stroke in December 2007. Yet, with Momentum’s help, John is now back in employment and his future is looking up.
John said, “Formerly, I was a senior training advisor for the construction industry but I found myself unemployed after my stroke. At times I wondered whether I would ever work again.
“I joined Momentum in 2009 and, as a result, I’m starting to get my life back on track. Momentum provided sessions in confidence-building, memory and concentration skills, communication, and information technology. I was meeting people in similar situations and the programme also gave me structure to my day.
“In addition, Momentum helped me to develop techniques to improve my chances of regaining employment, such as goal planning, CV building, and interview practice. Eventually, I started applying for part-time work and was successful in gaining a job as a concierge. I feel better about myself since I started working again; it’s given me my independence back.”
Momentum is one of the country’s leading providers of rehabilitation and training services for people with disabilities and those who are socially excluded, empowering more than 2,200 people every year to rebuild their future, by re-entering employment or further education.
Dorothy Strachan, Momentum National Brain Injury Manager, says, “There are approximately 16,500 people sustaining a brain injury in Scotland every year, however, with specialist rehabilitation and support many will be able to return to work and to build lasting careers. Momentum is here to support people with brain injury in realising their dreams and aspirations and to provide employers with the support and assistance that they need in assisting them to retain and recruit employees with brain injuries.”
For further information, contact Sheila Munro on 0141 333 05667 / Email: sheila.munro@momentumscotland.org
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