The world is now such a small place, with many people living in countries that they were not born and raised in. When a catastrophic accident happens in the UK to person who is not originally from the UK some may want to go home to be with their wider family. The same is true for those injured in the rest of the world and the client wants to return home to the UK.
After the essential stabilisation and rehabilitation, repatriation can be considered. Depending where the client was originally from will determine the level of support and medical care that they would be able to access on their return.
If the client comes from another a country which shares the same level of care and medical capacity these projects are more straight forward, as there are likely to be experts on both sides of the boarder. However, if this is not the case a feasibility study should take place to establish if the client can return safely to their home and receive the care and support they need. This is where our expertise and can-do attitude comes into its own.
At Design for Independence we believe that being in a familiar and supportive environment has a huge impact on people’s rehabilitation and well-being.
We recently repatriated a client to Budapest. The following points contain short examples of the multitude of details that were considered and put in place:
- Completing a property search abroad in person, learning about the community and the facilities available for disabled people within the desired location.
- Identifying suitable builders, architects, interior designer. Understanding the culture and unwritten rules when it comes to building projects.
- Supporting the care team, overcoming differences with care and manual handling standards and regulations.
- Sourcing specialist equipment from neighbouring counties, seeking local suppliers for suitable furniture and fixtures and fittings.
- Identifying maintenance services, this can be especially challenging if the equipment can only be sourced from another country.
- Supporting the family members, through an interpreter, during the building work and move back home.
This type of work sits well with our strengths of thinking outside of the box, solving the puzzle and really thinking about who our clients are, what they need and how we can make it happen.