REVEALED: Kilkenny people being 'denied the right to rehabilitation'

Kilkenny people living with neurological conditions are being “denied the right to rehabilitation” due to the lack of a community neurorehabilitation team for the South-East — six years after the Government first pledged to deliver one.

Bernadette Myler Driscoll, a patient advocate who organises weekly social and physical activity meetups in Kilkenny for people with neurological conditions and their carers, spoke of the impact on families like her own.

Bernadette currently cares for her mother, who has Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson’s Disease, and her husband, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

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“My mother started running coffee mornings, chair yoga, and meditation events 20 years ago with my support,” she explained.

“Since she became unwell, I’ve continued them because social connection is vital.”

In its Pre-Budget Submission 2026, the NAI is calling for funding for four fully staffed community neurorehabilitation teams - including one in the South-East, that will cater for patients in Kilkenny.

They are also making a plea for the support of not-for-profit organisations that provide vital long-term neurorehabilitation services in the community.

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NAI Executive Director Magdalen Rogers stated that the ‘importance of community neurorehabilitation teams cannot be understated’.

“The specialist service and care they deliver within the community for people with a wide range of neurological conditions is proven to reduce hospital stays by an average of three days per patient,” she said.

“The longer the Government falls short on its responsibility to patients, the greater the inequalities experienced across the country.

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“Behind these percentages is the reality of thousands of people throughout Ireland being denied the right to rehabilitation enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.”

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