About Headway Milton Keynes

An Overview

Headway Milton Keynes opened in 2001 at Neath Hill Local Centre, Milton Keynes.

We provide a Day Centre where people with an acquired brain injury can meet and socialise regularly with other people who are similarly affected.

We offer support and a range of activities which include Art, Pottery, Discussions, Games, Quizzes, Visits to places of interest, Theatre Trips, Music, Computer Awareness, Cooking, talks from visiting speakers and other interesting projects.

Main Objectives:

• To provide professional care and support, advice and information for adults from age 18yrs with an acquired brain injury, their families and/or carers.
• To meet clients’ individual needs and help realise their own potential.
• To provide a safe environment for clients to meet others with similar experiences and problems and take part in social, educational and creative activities and improve independent personal skills which increases confidence and self esteem.
• To provide personal or telephone support for callers / carers from the general public.
• To promote local awareness and understanding of brain injury in the local community.

Supporting Our Community:

Headway MK encourages and assists improvement and performance within the areas of cognitive, behavioural, emotional and physical damage arising from brain injury, even many years later.

Headway MK also assists members with Benefit applications and if necessary attends with members for Health appointments and Medical Examinations as requested and where appropriate. We provide information and support to the carers and families and hold a Carers’ Evening every other month.

Headway Staff are committed to raising the profile of Headway MK and regularly attend professional meetings, reviews and endeavour to inform as many people as possible about the work undertaken by Headway MK.

A Growing Responsibility:

The number of people in Milton Keynes requiring our services is growing rapidly. Nationally, around 11,000 people annually (50% of these are Road Traffic Accidents) sustain severe brain injury and are likely to have complex long term problems affecting their personality, relationships and their ability to lead an independent life.

Brain injury is often called the “hidden disability” as many people do not have an obvious physical disability, yet they suffer from:

• Memory problems
• Poor insight and awareness
• Speech and language problems
• Difficulty planning and organising daily tasks
• Spatial and visual awareness difficulties
• Information processing problems

At Headway MK we work to make more people aware of the problems and causes of brain injury in order to have better understanding and tolerance.

No other organisation in Milton Keynes provides a Day Centre or service specifically aimed at people with an Acquired Brain Injury.