Swans Trust help brain injury patients
Brain injury patients from Morriston Hospital have this season been enjoying a new programme delivered by the Swans Community Trust.
Run once a week at the hospital’s Traumatic Brain Injury Service, the programme sees participants take part in light physical exercise sessions and nutrition workshops, as well as a horticultural project to renovate the unit’s garden.
The programme, which is run by our Sign Up To Success and Inclusion projects, has not only transformed the garden, it has transformed the participants.
“We’ve worked with the staff at the Brain Injury Unit at Morriston Hospital to design a bespoke programme which will benefit the health and wellbeing of all the patients at the unit,” explained Richard Jones, the Trust’s senior inclusion manager who runs the Inclusion project, funded by the Premier League and BT.
“The programme we are delivering combines tailored physical activity, which takes into consideration each patient’s medical needs, an hour’s nutrition workshop, followed by a two-hour horticultural workshop which is helping to transform the garden area.”
Dawn Thomas, a health trainer from the Community Trust, added: “The aim is to firstly improve their confidence, build their communication and team-working abilities, whilst helping them to keep active in an interesting and focused manner.”
In addition to helping with physical wellbeing, the course also provides a safe and social environment, where participants can meet people who have been through similar experiences.
“My life was stolen from me,” said one patient, George Rowlands, who suffered a brain injury 21 years ago.
“Coming here, however, has given me the opportunity to meet other people with brain injuries. When I first arrived here, I was shy and would sit in the corner and just watch everyone else.
“I could see a bit of myself in every single person and that’s when I started learning things about myself. I have spoken to people who have just started their journey to recovery and I’m able to help them, which I find so rewarding.
“I now look forward to coming to these sessions because I know I’m going to see my friends.”
Another patient, former boxer Jonny Williams, added: “I feel a lot better since coming here as I can relate to people and what has happened to them.
“In normal everyday life, people don’t understand what you’re going through, but when you come here, people are all on the same level of understanding.
“It’s given me a huge confidence boost and I’ve been able to start college.”
Dawn finished: “Being able to play a small part in changing people’s lives for the better is absolutely amazing and seeing people progressing week by week is something that we all take great pride in. I’m really excited to run more programmes like this in the future.”
For more information about our Sign Up To Success project, please contact dawn@scfccommunitytrust.co.uk or jack@scfccommunitytrust.co.uk
For more information about our Inclusion project, please contact richard@scfccommunitytrust.co.uk
