Personalized citizen accompaniment for community integration of people with traumatic brain injuries: A step toward resilience?

Varia
By Hélène Lefebvre, Marie-Josée Levert, Guylaine Le Dorze, Claire Croteau, Isabelle Gélinas, Pierre-Yves Therriault, Bernard Michallet, Jacinthe Samuelson
English

Introduction: most people with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) live with physical, sensory, or psychological aftereffects that affect their day-to-day functioning and prevent them from performing their regular activities. Context: a personalized citizen accompaniment project for community integration (APIC) was implemented for people with a TBI to address the lack of access to resources and give them support to redefine their life goals. Aims: this study’s aim is to evaluate the APIC’s impact on the participants’ wellbeing and their ability to participate in recreational and day-to-day living activities. Methods: the study involved a mixed research design of multiple case studies supported by a participative and collaborative research approach. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from nine participants with TBI in two stages, after six months and at the end, after twelve months, using semi-structured interviews. Results: this study shows the APIC’s positive impact on the development of the participants’ autonomy and satisfaction with their social participation. Discussion and conclusion: the results show that the APIC is a safe space for experimentation, founded on a reciprocal relationship between the accompanied and the accompanier, and promoting commitment to the resilience process.

Keywords

  • personalised citizen accompaniment
  • traumatic brain injury
  • community integration
  • resilience
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