Latest news with #rehabilitation
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
ADJD showcases products from correctional and rehabilitation centers at Liwa Date Festival
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department is taking part in the 21st edition of the Liwa Date Festival 2025, held in Liwa City, Al Dhafra Region, from July 14 to 27. Through a dedicated pavilion, the Department is presenting a variety of products crafted by inmates at correctional and rehabilitation centers — ranging from fresh agricultural produce, particularly dates, to artisanal crafts, artworks, handmade items, and traditional heritage products. The Department's participation in the festival underscores its commitment to engaging with cultural and community events in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. These directives emphasize the importance of active participation in national events and the preservation of the country's rich heritage. Throughout the festival, which is organized by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the Department's pavilion will showcase the talents and creativity of inmates through a display of handcrafted products. These exhibits highlight the Department's rehabilitation efforts, aimed at equipping inmates with practical skills that support their reintegration into society as productive and law-abiding citizens upon the completion of their sentences. Additionally, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department is using this platform to shed light on the initiatives dedicated to preserving traditional crafts and industries. The focus is on enhancing and evolving production methods within correctional facilities in a manner that aligns with the cultural identity of the UAE.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
‘I couldn't hold a spoon': Former rehab patients on recovering from brain conditions
Mother-of-four Aideen Phelan was left with speech difficulties and a weakness in the right side of her body following a brain aneurysm in April 2023. She survived thanks to six surgeries at Beaumont Hospital but had an intense frustration with being unable to communicate with her four children. 'When I couldn't talk to my children, I was so angry', she said. 'If I didn't learn how to talk, I wouldn't be able to take care of my children, to be there 100 per cent with them.' Phelan, who works in a bookies in her hometown of Naas, Co Kildare, said her life has improved thanks to the care she received in Peamount rehabilitation centre in Newcastle, Co Dublin. She worked with an occupational therapist and speech and language therapist. Group sessions helped her to feel less alone in her recovery. READ MORE She went home to her children after five weeks of rehabilitation. 'When my own life was nearly gone, I was like: 'Right, what's important in my life?' Coming back to work and getting my speech back were one of the most important things I've ever had to do. 'Beaumont saved my life, but Peamount helped me to heal and gave me my life back,' she said. Phelan is one of three former patients of Peamount who spoke at an event hosted by Neurological Alliance of Ireland to mark World Brain Day. Also speaking at the event were Anne Marie Leonard (37), from Edenderry, Co Offaly, and Mike Preston, who lives in Lanesborough on the river Shannon, where he suffered a stroke aged 57. Anne Marie Leonard was able to relearn simple tasks with help from the therapists at the Peamount healthcare centre. Photograph: Alan Betson Leonard was working as a carer when she first experienced balance issues, found she knocked into things and fell without explanation. 'I never thought the roles would be reversed,' she said. After three months in Tullamore Hospital, she was admitted to Peamount healthcare centre. 'Medically, I was fine, it was rehabilitation I needed. I couldn't hold a spoon, I couldn't hold a fork to feed myself, I could do nothing. With the help of the physio and the occupational therapist and different aids and pieces of equipment, I regained it all.' She went home in July 2024 after seven months at the facility. 'I left using a rollator [mobility walker] and now I'm down to just using a stick. Had it not been for [Peamount], I would most likely still be spoon-fed and in a wheelchair,' she said. Preston said he 'wouldn't be anywhere near the person I am today without" the Peamount centre. He returned home fully mobile 3½ months after admission able to walk, talk and take care of himself. Mags Rogers, chief executive of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, a network of 40 voluntary organisations, said the event aims to highlight an inequality in services for the 860,000 people across Ireland living with a neurological condition. Mags Rogers, chief executive of Neurological Alliance Ireland, which is calling for the Government to invest in 45 beds for neurological rehabilitation this year to address a national shortfall of 175 beds. Photograph: Alan Betson The alliance is calling for the Government to invest in 45 beds for neurological rehabilitation this year to address a national shortfall of 175 beds. It says this shortage was highlighted by the HSE in a report from last September. Ms Rogers said it can be a 'real challenge' to get into an inpatient service due to waiting lists. Then when people return to their communities they could be living in an area without a community neuro-rehabilitation team, she said. 'There's gaps at all stages. It's all fragmented.'
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Courts to extend 'therapeutic justice' approach from family dispute cases to young offenders: Chief Justice
SINGAPORE: The courts will adopt a 'problem-solving, interest-based approach' for cases involving children and young persons with an aim to heal and rehabilitate, similar to the therapeutic approach that is used for divorce proceedings, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said on Wednesday (Jul 23). He was speaking to other judges and guests at the official opening of the Family Justice Courts building – known as the 'Octagon', which is at the former site of the State Courts on Havelock Square. The newly refurbished Family Justice Courts building began operations in 1975 as the Subordinate Courts, and the iconic octagonal structure was gazetted as a conserved building in 2013, before being renamed as the State Courts in 2014. In 2019, it heard its final case. Also present at the opening ceremony were President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli and Minister for Law Edwin Tong. The therapeutic justice approach, previously adopted as an 'overarching philosophy' to legal proceedings by the Family Justice Courts in 2020, seeks to address the parties' underlying issues holistically under the care of specialist family judges and allied professionals, said Chief Justice Menon. This can serve to restore their relationships to 'a state that enables them to continue to address those persistent ties', he said. While the focus has been on matrimonial proceedings such as divorce, Chief Justice Menon said the courts "will now direct our attention to another crucial group of court users – children and young persons". 'There is still more that can be done," he said. "We are confident that therapeutic justice principles can be a source of inspiration to bolster our proceedings in the Youth Courts.' CASES INVOLVING YOUTH AND YOUNG CHILDREN Elaborating on the cases that the therapeutic justice approach can be used, Chief Justice Menon noted that they can include the treatment and rehabilitation of youth offenders, applications for the care and protection of children or young persons, and applications for family guidance orders in respect of children or young persons. Adding that there is room for therapeutic justice principles to complement existing practices in the Youth Courts, which he described as the "next frontier", he said a child or young person who needs guidance and rehabilitation lies at the heart of every Youth Court proceeding. 'This essential understanding is already embedded in our approach to youth offenders, where it is well-established that the criminal law does not apply in quite the same way," he said. For instance, in the Youth Courts, words such as 'conviction' and 'sentence' are not used, and the focus is on rehabilitation. 'The law in this area reflects our belief, as a society, that children and young persons deserve the opportunity to turn their lives around, and that this justifies the creation of a distinct system for dealing with young individuals who may have gone astray, save in cases involving very serious offences,' he said. There is thus room for therapeutic justice principles to complement existing practices by encouraging children and young persons to 'come before us to take responsibility for their actions and commit to restorative steps that will pave the way forward towards a positive and meaningful future', Chief Justice Menon said. Under this approach, underlying issues that shape a young person's behaviour and circumstances should be identified and addressed together with the legal issues before the Court wherever possible. 'Children and young persons deserve nothing less than a supportive system that keeps them safe, addresses their underlying needs and sets them on a path towards a better future - whether the presenting issue is criminal conduct, family conflict or parental neglect,' he said. The Youth Court will be housed in the Octagon, alongside the Family and Justice Courts. OTHER MEASURES TO SUPPORT THERAPEUTIC APPROACH The Youth Court's processes will also be "calibrated" to incorporate the new therapeutic approach, said Chief Justice Menon. For one, it will explore the use of a visionary map that is intended to help youth offenders reflect on their past choices, among other objectives. Thereafter, youth offenders can craft a personal commitment – known as a "promise for change" – to lay out a concrete action plan for change. This would allow youth offenders "to take responsibility and to commit to positive transformation and rehabilitation", he said. While the Brutalist architectural features will be retained, the interior of the Family Justice Courts has been "completely transformed" in line with principles of therapeutic justice, said Justice Teh Hwee Hwee, who is the presiding judge of the Family Justice Courts. Vibrant artworks by youths from the Singapore Boys' and Girls' Homes are featured, and interview rooms will have purpose-built child-friendly furnishings. "This is a courthouse that serves not just to be a place for deciding cases, but to be a beacon of hope for rebuilding lives with dignity," said Justice Teh. The Family Justice Courts will also deploy multi-disciplinary teams to deal with select cases in the Youth Courts, who will be entrusted with managing the case and any related matters until their conclusion. 'The consistency and the contextuality that this promotes will help build trust, deepen understanding and promote the delivery of holistic and targeted support over time,' said Chief Justice Menon. He added that the Youth Courts adopt a "whole of community" approach, where the court, parents, educators, social workers and community partners will "move together" to support every child and young person. "In the future we are striving to create, every child or young person who enters our justice system should leave with the tools that will ensure that they need never come back," said Chief Justice Menon. "Our aim is not to be a revolving door, but a one-time intervention that resets a young life on a new and better path."
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Abandoned Leicester care home turned into NHS facility
An abandoned care home in Leicester has been turned into a recovery and rehabilitation centre to relieve pressure on the city's first 25 beds have opened at the new Preston Lodge following extensive site is expected to be fully up and running by winter, with a total of 58 facility is designed for patients who no longer need to remain in hospital, but would benefit from a stay in the nurse-led unit before being discharged. Patients are expected to stay at the facility at Preston Lodge, in Kingfisher Avenue, for between 21 and 28 days Roberts, a head of nursing at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL), said patients can lose muscle condition during a stay in hospital and the aim of extending their stay is "to get them back to their peak fitness".Patients will also have access to dietitians, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists. Prof Damian Roland, an emergency medicine consultant at Leicester Royal Infirmary, said: "We take patients who are sitting in an acute hospital bed and move them to a place where they get that rehabilitation."That gets the patient well more quickly, prevents them perhaps needing further care, but [it] also releases a bed so that we can release patients from the emergency department and other hospital areas."On an average day, there are about 100 patients in hospital beds in Leicester's three main NHS hospitals who are medically fit but there are issues with discharging them, according to Roland said the project is aligned with the government's 10 year plan for the NHS, which aims to move more care into the community. Rowena Harvey, a deputy chief nurse at UHL, added: "It's not going to solve everything but it's a step on that journey and it's about how we work as a system together to achieve the best outcome for our population."Preston Lodge was a city council-run care home and prior to it being used by the NHS, there had been discussions over it potentially becoming flats.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Prolific shoplifters get suspended jail terms as court recognises positive changes
SUSPENDED jail terms have been handed to a man and a woman from Carlisle who have admitted a spate of shoplifting offences. Danielle Nicholson, 35, and Matthew Thompson, 31, both of Mayfield Avenue, entered guilty pleas to a series of thefts committed at local stores in recent weeks. Both have a history of previous offending. Magistrates described their offending as 'prolific' but drew back from handing them an immediate jail term after a defence lawyer said both can be rehabilitated. Nicholson stole from the Co-op in Central Avenue, Harraby, on June 7, 18, and 21, taking sweets and various meat items, including eight steaks. On the last occasion, Carlisle's Rickergate court heard, she was challenged by the staff because she is barred from the store. Despite this, she refused to stop stuffing items into her bag before leaving. On that one occasion, the left with goods worth £41, making no attempt to pay. Four days later, she and Thompson went on a joint shoplifting trip to the Aldi store on Petteril Bank Road in Carlisle, stealing goods worth £27. Thompson admitted two thefts from Aldi on June 25 as well as six further thefts from the Co-op and Spar stores on dates in May, June and July. Defence lawyer Lauren Heasley represented both defendants. For Nicholson, the lawyer said she had experienced difficulties in her life which have left her with long-term trauma. 'She was stealing from shops to feed herself and to fund her drug habit,' said Ms Heasley. 'She is 35 and wants today to mark the end of her offending,' said the lawyer. 'She is motivated to change and there is a recommendation [in the background Probation Service report] for female focused work to assist in her rehabilitation. "She is willing to work with that.' Nicholson had learned of the death of a relative two days ago, an event which in the past would have sent her down the path of alcohol abuse and self-destruction, but she had remained strong and resisted that reaction. 'She wants to show that she's committed to change,' said Ms Heasley. Referring to Thompson, Ms Heasley said he too was capable of rehabilitating. He had secured a job as a roofer and was engaging well with services to tackle drug misuse. The job had given him a sense of pride. Magistrates noted Nicholson's deprived background and the long period since she was last had a community-based sentence. They imposed eight weeks custody but suspended this for a year, ruling that she must complete 15 rehabilitation activity days. Addressing Thompson, magistrates said he had taken steps to improve his life. He too must complete 12 rehabilitation activity days, in his case as part of a 12-week jail term suspended for a year. Both defendants must compensate the shops they stole from for the loss of goods which were not recovered – in Nicholson's case to the tune of £199 and in Thompson's case the amount was £218. Neither was asked to pay costs.
