Living on the List, a programme by public Irish TV channel RTÉ One, broadcast last Monday, must have been one of the most horrific programmes ever shown about a health system that has failed and is, instead of providing help, inflicting terrible damage. According to RTÉ,

Over half a million people are currently on hospital waiting lists in Ireland and it’s a figure that’s been rising every month for the past year. These people, adults and children alike, face the painful reality of waiting months, sometimes years for treatment for a range of conditions from cataracts and scoliosis to spinal and gynaecological conditions.

Well picture this.

There are no waiting lists for the treatment of survivors of severe acquired brain injury (sABI), because not only do services not exist, there isn’t even an understanding within the professions that these services are so desperately needed.

Were we able to say there is a waiting list for services for sABI survivors would actually be progress because it would mean that these services were available, and generally acknowledged to be required.

Let’s put survivors of severe acquired brain injury first. Not categorically, forever, but just for a while. Because this is the only way we will be able to put the in place. Let’s change the hearts and minds of those responsible. Work with those who share our horror and make change happen.

What a busy day it has been for Pádraig. Getting up with the help of his PAs. Exercises. Breakfast. Physio session. Relaxing massage hour. Lunch. Mid-day nap. Music therapy. Tea & biscuits. Dinner. Exercises. Ready to go to bed. Sleep.

He had a busy day because he wants to be busy and we made sure he was. Let’s make sure everybody gets busy, finds a purpose in life, is integrated, and supported to live their life to the fullest.

If you’re in the mood for some fun – the attempts started by the Dutch trying to convince Trump to put their country, The Netherlands, second (having put America first, of course) has become not just a European, but a world-wide movement. There Germans, the Austrians, even the Moldovians have put forward their bids to convince Trump to put their country second. There is a website, http://www.everysecondcounts.eu, channelling all those bids to the US President to make it easy for him to access the bids, review them, and take his decision. It’s fantastic. Really. It’s great. It’s great. There’s no bid by Mexico. No. No bid by Mexico. Because we all know that they’re losers. Total losers. But the site, it’s fantastic. Really. Fantastic.