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AN IRISH TEAM has started a long drive to Russia in the hope of raising funds to assist with the neuro-rehabilitation of a Dublin man with an acquired brain injury (ABI).
Eugene O’Carroll and Pete Sinkson are part of a two-man team set to drive thousands of miles as part of the famous intercontinental Mongol Rally, to raise money for Pádraig Schaler, whose story has been covered extensively on TheJournal.ie.
Pádraig suffered a serious brain injury after he was knocked off his bike while on a J1 trip in Cape Cod in 2013.
He fell into a coma after the incident, and was brought by his family to Germany for treatment, but has since returned to Ireland, where his condition is continuing to improve.
However, his family have paid very significant expenses since the accident happened, including hundreds of euro a week on weekly therapy sessions and thousands more on intensive therapy abroad every few months.
His father Reinhard told TheJournal.ie that the 10,000-mile drive to raise funds for Pádraig was welcome for more than just financial reasons.
“The whole thing is bringing a bit of lightness into what is an unfortunate situation,” he said.
“They’ve already started in Prague in small car with a small engine, and they have until September to get to Ulan Ude in Russia.
“It’s completely bonkers, but they say that they’re doing it to make life more entertaining.”
Specialist help needed
The total cost of Pádraig’s rehabilitation for the remainder of his life has been estimated to be millions of euro, and his family have faced many obstacles in their quest to get proper treatment and care for him.
He has a homecare package covered by the HSE, but other forms of clinical therapy, which help him to remain physically and mentally stimulated, aren’t covered by this.
Reinhard explains that despite what some might think, Pádraig is more active than he appears.
“He listens to interesting things, and goes to sleep when there are boring things on,” he says.
“He has good days and bad days, and the circumstances are very different to ours, but there are loads of things that he enjoys a lot.”
Reinhard also outlines the importance of the money that will hopefully be raised for his son during the Mongol Rally, which will help his family with the financial burden of caring for Pádraig.
“We would never be able to do it without the money,” he says.
“Pádraig needs ongoing therapy for the rest of his life. If he doesn’t get it, he’s going to die: it’s that simple. And we’ve had terrible problems finding people to help us.
“Half a year ago, Pádraig started moving – which was brilliant – but that posed massive challenges because his brain wasn’t able to keep up with controlling his body.
“In situations like that, you need to have guidance, which is incredibly hard to get because you need a very specific type of help.”
An Saol centre
Arising from the challenges they’ve faced, Pádraig’s family are setting up a new facility to help other people to get the best care they can in situations like theirs.
They have developed An Saol, a centre for people with serious acquired brain injury, which aims to provide therapy services for patients and some respite for their family members.
“Most of the people in situations like him would be in a nursing home, which isn’t the right place for a young person to be,” Reinhard says.
“You spend an awful lot of time in bed without exercise or proper mental stimulation.
“So we got the HSE to fund a pilot project for three years, and we’re now at a stage where we have a building and the correct certificates.”
An Saol, which is on track to open in September, is working with two organisations in Germany and the UK who are helping those involved with training and staffing.
The project could create a pool of experts to help people who have acquired brain injuries, and to offer services to those who aren’t getting them.
Those responsible are even looking to acquire robotic walking equipment and hire therapists to assist those with injuries like Pádraig.
But the other aim, Reinhart explains, is to show the HSE why there is such a requirement for a permanent space like An Saol.
“It’s a different type of care you’re providing people,” he says.
“We feel that Pádraig is so vulnerable, so we know the importance of having a place where people can leave their family members or friends and take some time out to know that they are in good hands.”
Donations to the Mongol Rally 2019 for Pádraig can be made here. Reinhart Schaler blogs about his son’s progress at Hospi-Tales.com.
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All violent prisoners should be on Spike Island…..
With a snipers in a watch tower on each corner..
Food and new prisoners dropped off every week.
Let them kill each other for all I care…….
Every government since I joined this Job has fobbed the Prison Officers with the cheapest crap they could buy. Instead of buying quality equipment that would last for years the mantra has always been get the cheapest you can and if its poor quality it is not an issue.
And I am sure the members of the Gardai will echo what I have said for their equipment.
They would rather spend ten of millions giving Junkies Disability Allowances and everything that goes with it than spend 1 or 2 million of equipment that would over time save millions.
The latest thing with us is instead of buying new good quality stab vests for each Officer they want us to take ancient Control and Restraint breastplates that have been laying in storage for 15+ years being pissed on by rats and mice that were deigned unfit for purpose when they were put away all that time ago and use them as “Stab Vests” when they offer no cover to the sides or lower abdomen or lower back.
They wont issue each Officer with their own extendible baton because they are afraid an Officer may just actually use it to defend themselves or someone else. And wont even discuss the idea of Pepper Spray which would be much less harmful in terms of injury to a prisoner than a baton would.
Lions led by Donkeys is an apt description of the Prison Officers and the Civil Servants running IPS.
Pepper spray is a no brainer. No lasting effects and drops d gouger like a rock. And shud be cheap 2 provide. Cannot understand d mentality. Do gooders have literally ruined this country and put prison officers in harm’s way just 2 be pc. Dumb!
Honest to god is this government for real ? Leave the prison officers alone. If I’m correct there basically looking to implement 9 – 7 shifts instead of 8 – 8 ? Increasing the working year by 25 days per officer at no extra cost & no need to recruit new staff. So absolutely no family life for the officers. When was the last time a jail went up in a riot type situation ??? A long time ago, officers do a unbelievable job under extreme circumstances. As usual this government attacks the average worker on the ground level.
Pepperspray does not always work. Tasers would be good option.
But really it should be a rule if you attack a prison officer you go to the underground level never to see natural light and kept in small cell 23 hours a day. Even when out of the cell it’s just in hallway till sentence ends.
Would that work mick?
Not sure if ur being sarcastic or not Charles. I’m a bit slow like that. I see d simple picture. Black and white. Prison officers r d good guys and prisoners r d bad guys. So yeah ur idea has some merit. Better than d current system.
Charles. Tazers are pie in the sky stuff. Even with the Gardai they are only issued to the ERU if I am not mistaken. On the whole Level 4 strength pepper spray and a baton as back up would be more than adequate for our current needs.
In fairness the Luas does run to Tallaght.
Many from tallaght also stay in the joy.
I’m sure there are many mothers and fathers living in tallaght who are trying to teach their children right and wrong and bring them up to be decent.
And not make stuck up snobby jibes on the Internet.
State always take cheap option. The luas guards have better stab vests then the guards
Anyone who has a stab proof vest has a better one than we in the prisons do.
Why ???
Because we don’t have ANY !!!
The 1st priority 4 govt and management shud be equipping d prison officers adequately and ensuring their safety. Only when that is fully implemented shud prisoners”rights” be taken into consideration.
The head of IPS and the Minister are from a welfare background and are only interested in positive press and have a view that any prisoner in jail is a victim and should be treated as one and not as violent criminal.
The stabbing of 2 officers last week ,was a inconvenience for them and lip service has been payed to stab vests and pepper spray.
The minister went into the lower house yesterday and tried to turn the incompetency of IPS back on officers. Shame on you minister and your mangers
Prison is a controlled environment. Do the job right and no prisoner will have a weapon.
Says someone that has most likely never set foot in a Prison let alone dealt with a violent prisoner.
Just yesterday one officer had to go to hospital after being struck in the face with a brush handle. Just because you don’t have the imagination to make weapons out of the most mundane everyday things they do. Take a tooth brush to you and most people that is all it is. To a prisoner and a Prison Officer it is a potential weapon. Shape one end to a point it becomes a stabbing weapon, Melt the bristles and insert the blades from a disposable Razor and you have a slashing weapon. A bar of soap in a sock and you have a clubbing weapon. A length of wire and two pens and you have a garrotte.
So when you actually know what you are talking about then maybe just maybe you can make statements like the one above.
I was wondering why all the prisoners like getting boots hampers for Christmas.
Luas security officers are Stazi-like. They’re checking train tickets but act like East German assassins!
It’s a no brainer,prison officers should be extremely highly trained and properly equiped and get whatever support they need at all times,the same goes for the gardai.You can be sure ministers do
In one prison I knew, the prisoners had better stab vests than the screws.
I know … my ex fella was banged up for 6 months for GBH in the prison
Oh dear.
… but it was the best thing that could happen, I met another fella, when he was inside
What!!!
You couldn’t wait 6 months?
Sounds like he’s better off without you so!
Must have been a UK prison because Irish Prison Officers don’t have stab vests.
Glen, I couldn’t go a week without it, never mind 6 months!
Well prison officers are free to leave and apply for a job on luas security. I’m positive every luas security guard would happily swap jobs with them. Why do people with the best jobs in this country just shut up and appreciate what they have for once. If you don’t like your job you are free to leave.
thats a load of C**P John , So its ok to accept bad working conditions ??No matter where a person works they are entitled to work in a safe environment , as safe as it possibly can be . So your solution to all people who are employed and being treated unfairly is to leave their job ?? Get real would you , Prison Officers are doing a job have mortgages and bills the same as everyone else they are not “free” to leave their employment as you put it BUT they are entitled to feel somewhat protected in a dangerous workplace ,THATS ALL THEY ARE ASKING
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