Brain Injury Rehabilitation For Irish Patients.
Intensive inpatient rehabilitation after a head injury or other brain injury, at a 287-bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Greece. At least 3 hours of therapy a day and neuropsychology from day one. Reimbursed by the HSE.
No referral or paperwork needed for the first call.
Brain injury rehabilitation at Evexia Plus
Evexia Plus is a specialist Rehabilitation Hospital near Thessaloniki, Greece, where people from Ireland come for brain injury rehabilitation as inpatients. We provide intensive neurological rehabilitation after a traumatic brain injury, and after acquired brain injury from other causes, such as a brain bleed, lack of oxygen, encephalitis or a brain tumour. Our physician reviews each case. A physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation leads your programme, with at least 3 hours of therapy a day from a full team. There is no waiting list: admission can be arranged once your medical records are reviewed. The cost is reimbursable by the HSE under the EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive.
- Led by
- A physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Therapy
- At least 3 hours a day, goals reviewed weekly
- Where
- Near Thessaloniki, Greece, about four hours' direct flight from Dublin
- Funding
- Reimbursable by the HSE under the EU Cross-Border Directive
- Start
- No waiting list, once your records are reviewed
How rehabilitation helps after a head injury or acquired brain injury
A traumatic brain injury (TBI), often called a head injury, is caused by a force to the head, such as a fall, a road collision or an assault. Acquired brain injury (ABI) is the wider term: it also covers a bleed in or around the brain, lack of oxygen (hypoxic brain injury), an infection such as encephalitis, and a brain tumour and its surgery.
The effects can include weakness, stiffness and poor balance, difficulty swallowing or speaking, problems with memory, attention and planning, deep tiredness, low mood, and changes in personality and behaviour. After a serious head injury, many people go through a confused phase called post-traumatic amnesia. A few stay in a state of reduced awareness for a long time, called a prolonged disorder of consciousness.
The brain can relearn, a process called neuroplasticity, and with enough of the right practice people regain skills. Recovery is usually fastest in the first few months and often continues, more slowly, for a year or two or longer. It is uneven and different for everyone, which is why every programme starts from your own goals.
How we support your brain injury recovery
Intensive, specialist rehabilitation
At least 3 hours of therapy a day, planned by a rehabilitation physician who leads the team and reviews your goals with you every week.
Confusion and agitation after a head injury
A set protocol for post-traumatic amnesia and agitation, a steady routine and access to psychiatry when needed, so rehabilitation can begin during this phase.
Memory, attention and planning (cognitive rehabilitation)
Our neuropsychology team assesses memory, attention and thinking when you arrive. Cognitive rehabilitation then works on them, and occupational therapy builds the strategies into your day.
Mood, personality and behaviour
Psychology from day one, with support for mood, practical behavioural strategies, and family education on how to respond to these changes.
Swallowing and communication
FEES on site, swallowing therapy with neuromuscular electrical stimulation where helpful, texture-modified meals, and speech and language therapy with communication aids where speech is limited.
Gait, balance and movement
Daily physiotherapy with robotic gait training, body-weight support, FES and treadmill training with heart-rate monitoring. Spasticity is managed with stretching, splints, a tilt table and shockwave therapy, and our orthopaedic surgeon is involved if you also have fractures.
Water
Our three-pool hydrotherapy complex, with hoists and adaptive equipment. Your physician first checks that the pool is safe for you, for example if you have had seizures.
Your brain injury rehabilitation programme
Every programme is planned around your goals by a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician, who leads the team and reviews your progress with you every week. Most people work with several of these services each day:
Psychology and neuropsychology
Cognitive rehabilitation, mood and behaviour support.
See the service
Physiotherapy and robotics
Gait and balance training, robotics, FES and virtual reality.
See the service
Occupational therapy
Daily tasks, memory and planning strategies, and planning for home.
See the service
Speech and swallowing
FEES assessment, swallowing therapy, speech therapy and communication aids.
See the service
Hydrotherapy
Therapy in our three-pool complex, indoor and outdoor, with poolside hoists.
See the service
Neuromodulation
Non-invasive brain stimulation alongside therapy, if your physician recommends it.
See the servicePsychology, neuropsychology and speech and language therapy are all delivered in fluent English.
A typical day
Tiredness is very common after a brain injury, so the day follows a steady routine with rest built in.
Morning
Physiotherapy for gait and balance, then occupational therapy for daily tasks and memory strategies.
Midday
Lunch served at your bedside, with time to rest.
Afternoon
Neuropsychology or speech and language therapy, then hydrotherapy, depending on your plan.
Evening
Quiet time with your family in the gardens, the lounges or your room.
What to expect during your stay
In the first days, the team assesses you, including a neuropsychological assessment, and agrees your goals with you, and with your family if you wish. Realistic goals might be:
Recovery after a brain injury is different for everyone and often uneven, and we cannot promise a particular result. We do promise to track your progress, review your goals every week and tell you honestly what we see, including when progress is slow. Many people keep improving at home, so we finish with a plan for home and a full report to your doctor in Ireland.
From the first call to coming home
Most people have never arranged care abroad. This is the whole route, so you know what happens next and who does it.
Before you travel
- 1
Talk to us
Call, send a WhatsApp message or use the form. We explain how the Cross-Border Directive works and what we need from you.
- 2
Send your records
A recent medical summary, your medication list and any recent scans. Our physician reviews them and tells you honestly whether a stay is likely to help now.
- 3
Referral and estimate
Ask your GP or public hospital consultant for a dated referral letter; we tell you exactly what it should say. We send a written estimate in English before you commit.
Your stay
- 4
Choose your date
There is no waiting list. You choose the date, and we meet you and your family at Thessaloniki airport.
- 5
Consultation and admission
The outpatient consultation with our physician the day before admission, then your programme starts.
- 6
Your stay
At least 3 hours of therapy a day, with your goals reviewed with you every week.
Back home
- 7
Home and your claim
You go home with a plan for home, a report for your doctor in Ireland and every document the HSE claim needs.
How the HSE reimburses brain injury rehabilitation
Brain injury rehabilitation at Evexia Plus is reimbursable by the HSE under the EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive. You don't need a medical card or private insurance.
You pay the hospital
You pay Evexia Plus directly for your stay.
You claim from the HSE
With the documents we give you at discharge.
The HSE repays you
What you paid, up to what the same care would cost in the Irish public system.
What the HSE needs
- 01
A referral letter from your GP, or from a hospital consultant who sees you as a public patient.
- 02Our recommendation
An outpatient consultation, in person, dated after the referral. Have it with our physician in Greece the day before admission: one trip, and no wait for a clinic appointment in Ireland.
- 03Optional
Prior Notification gives an indicative figure, not a guarantee, and with current delays the HSE's reply can take months. We usually advise going ahead without it, because the HSE assesses every claim after treatment either way.
Reimbursable
- The inpatient programme (therapy, nursing care and your stay in the hospital)
- Medicines and tests during the stay
- The outpatient consultation at the HSE's rate
Not reimbursable
- Flights and other travel
- Family travel and accommodation outside the hospital
- Medicines you take home
Before you commit, our team sends a written estimate in English. At discharge, we give you every document the claim needs.
Your family can stay with you
After a brain injury, your family has a real part to play in your rehabilitation. One family member can stay with you free of charge, in your room or in nearby accommodation we arrange.
More relatives can stay in seaside hotels in Kallikratia, five minutes away, and a free shuttle bus runs to Thessaloniki. Transfers to and from Thessaloniki airport are free for you and your family. Family education is part of the programme, and our psychology team supports your family too.
Every member of our staff communicates in English. Meals are cooked in our own kitchen and planned by a dietician, including texture-modified meals.
See Evexia Plus before you travel.
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Questions about brain injury rehabilitation
What is the difference between head injury, TBI and ABI rehabilitation?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI), often called a head injury, is caused by a force to the head, such as a fall, a collision or an assault. Acquired brain injury (ABI) is the wider term for any brain injury after birth, including a bleed, lack of oxygen, an infection or a tumour. The effects overlap, so TBI and ABI rehabilitation follow the same team approach, with goals set for each person.
Do you offer rehabilitation after a brain bleed, encephalitis or a cardiac arrest?
Yes. We accept people after a brain bleed, a hypoxic brain injury from lack of oxygen during a cardiac arrest, encephalitis, brain surgery or a brain tumour, including high-grade tumours. Our physician reviews each case. Recovery differs between causes, so your goals are set for you, and if you are still having cancer treatment, the stay is planned around it. Send us a recent medical summary for an honest view.
Can rehabilitation start while I am still confused after a head injury?
Often, yes. After a serious head injury, many people go through post-traumatic amnesia: confusion, restlessness and gaps in memory from one day to the next. Your family may remember this phase more clearly than you do. We have a set protocol for post-traumatic amnesia and agitation, with a steady routine and access to psychiatry when needed. Our physician reviews your records first.
Do you accept people in a prolonged disorder of consciousness?
Yes. After a severe brain injury, a few people stay in a state of reduced awareness for a long time, such as the minimally conscious state. If someone in your family is in this situation, we offer careful, structured assessment of how they respond, repeated over time, with therapy and 24-hour nursing and medical care, and your family involved throughout. We cannot promise any change in awareness.
Is it too late if my brain injury was a year or more ago?
Often it is not. Recovery is usually fastest in the first months, so there is good reason not to wait, but people can keep making gains long after a brain injury, especially in daily routines and memory strategies, when goals are clear. Our physician will tell you honestly what might realistically change.
How long does recovery from a brain injury take?
It is different for everyone, and often uneven. Recovery is usually fastest in the first few months and can continue, more slowly, for a year or two and often longer. The length of your stay is set by the consultant at your outpatient consultation and reviewed every week with you. The HSE does not limit the number of weeks it reimburses; it caps the rate.
Will rehabilitation help with memory, personality or behaviour changes?
Changes such as forgetfulness, irritability, impulsiveness or loss of motivation are common after a brain injury and are often the hardest part for families. Our neuropsychology team assesses them when you arrive and works on them with cognitive rehabilitation, practical behavioural strategies and support for mood. Your family learns how to respond before you go home. We cannot promise that every change will settle.
Do we need to live near Dublin to arrange brain injury rehabilitation?
No. It works the same way from Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway or anywhere else in Ireland. The steps before you travel are done from home: a call or WhatsApp message to us, medical records sent by email, and a referral letter from your own GP or public hospital consultant. The outpatient consultation can take place with our physician in Greece the day before admission, so there is no clinic appointment to wait for in Dublin.
Does the HSE pay for brain injury rehabilitation abroad?
Yes, under the EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive. You pay the hospital directly, then the HSE repays what you paid, up to what the same care would cost in the Irish public system. You need a referral from your GP or a public hospital consultant and an outpatient consultation. Flights and family accommodation outside the hospital are not reimbursable.
Where does the outpatient consultation take place?
You can have it in Ireland with a public hospital consultant, or with our physician in Greece on the day before admission. We recommend the second: you make one trip and avoid waiting for a clinic appointment. Either way, it must take place after the date on your referral letter.
Can my family stay with me?
Yes, and we encourage it. One family member stays free of charge, in your room or nearby accommodation we arrange. More relatives can stay in seaside hotels five minutes away, family can visit every day, and airport transfers are free for you and your family. Family education is part of the programme.
