“It gave her that soft landing”: Consumer perspectives on a transitional rehabilitation service for adults with acquired brain injury

ABSTRACT

Transitional rehabilitation service models for people with acquired brain injury (ABI) may address sub-optimal support for individuals returning home after hospitalization for ABI. This study investigated perspectives of people with ABI and close others who received transitional rehabilitation. A qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with 10 individuals with ABI and 12 associated close others was conducted as part of a mixed-method evaluation of an Australian transitional rehabilitation service (TRS) pilot project. Thematic analysis based on the Framework method was conducted independently by two researchers. Three broad themes illustrated participants’ experience of the TRS: (1) structure after hospital discharge; (2) a “soft landing”; and (3) equipped for community living. Findings suggest that home-based, interdisciplinary transitional rehabilitation after hospital discharge was perceived as an important stage of rehabilitation by participants. Valued features relate to post-hospital rehabilitation structure: a single point of contact to facilitate organization and information exchange, a known discharge destination, and consistent communication; support and therapy within a familiar home environment; and being equipped with relevant knowledge and strategies to manage ongoing challenges. Further research exploring the experiences of individuals with ABI without close family or social support, and research capturing longitudinal outcomes from transitional rehabilitation is recommended.

KEYWORDS:

• brain injury
• transition
• community rehabilitation
• qualitative
• family

Acknowledgements

We are sincerely grateful to the participants of this study for sharing their time and their experiences with us. We also thank Alexander Perry for his graphic design contribution. Funding for the Acquired Brain Injury Transitional Rehabilitation Service pilot was granted by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission Queensland.

Declaration of interest

The current authors declare their employment with the Acquired Brain Injury Transitional Rehabilitation Service.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Motor Accident Insurance Commission: [HS2015/140].