Brain Injury Awareness Week - Starting 17th May - Highlights Brain Injury Risks and National Shortage of Rehabilitation Facilities

NORTHAMPTON, England, May 17, 2010 - Every half hour in the UK a child will acquire a brain injury creating a
need for more facilities for care and rehabilitation and greater awareness of
the risk factors according to the Child Brain Injury Trust and leading mental
health charity St Andrew's Healthcare.

There are over 100,000 brain injury admissions to hospitals in England
alone each year. Of these two thirds are male and 30 per cent are children
under 15 years of age. Injury commonly results from road traffic accidents,
including those involving pedestrians and cyclists and assaults or falls many
of which involve drugs and alcohol. But brain injury is also caused by a
range of lesser known risks including infections such as meningitis,
poisoning, near drowning and brain tumours.

The Child Brain Injury Trust is working with St Andrew's Healthcare to
raise awareness of the measures children and young people can take to reduce
the risks of this happening to them.

St Andrew's Healthcare is also launching the first dedicated service for
adolescents with challenging behaviour following a brain injury - The
Acquired Brain Injury Service for Young People. The new residential
rehabilitation unit will facilitate the recovery of young people with
acquired brain injury who as a result experience emotional difficulties and
challenging behaviour in addition to physical problems.

Lisa Turan, CEO of the Child Brain Injury Trust said: "It is vital that
young people receive the right rehabilitation after brain injury and there is
an acute shortage of facilities in this country."

Notes to Editors

Dr Sally Cubbin Consultant Psychiatrist at the National Brain Injury
Centre and Lisa Turan, CEO of CBIT are available for interviews on the first
day of Brain Injury Awareness Week, Monday 17th May.

Reducing the risk of brain injury can be helped by the following actions:

    - Always wear a helmet when cycling, skateboarding, riding a horse or
      motorbike

    - Don't climb walls/jump of ledges without supervision and the correct
      equipment

    - Never play on building sites

    - Avoid drugs and alcohol

    - Road safety - never play chicken

    - Never run around swimming pools

    - Don't swing back on chairs

The brain is fragile like an egg with a hard shell and a soft inside.

The effects of brain injury can include:

    - Reduced ability to think and learn e.g. forgetfulness and poor
      attention

    - Impaired vision, sense of touch and smell

    - Weakness, tremor, stiffness and tight muscles

    - Poor ability to relate to others

    - Behavioural difficulties and personality change

    - Communication problems

For more information or to arrange an interview contact: Selwyn Rowley at LMMC on T +44-(0)1926-611700 or email selwyn at lmmc.co.uk