Brain-injured sue to live in community; Man in city institution among 2,000 ‘stuck’
A Worchester, Massachusetts resident, along with over 2,000 other plaintiffs, are joining together in a class action lawsuit that charges the state with denying them access to community settings that could help them improve their quality of life. In the lawsuit, the state is accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws by institutionalizing people with brain injuries.
Researchers state that patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury often times benefit from engaging in social activities and being part of social settings in order to regain certain daily functions which may have been affected or lost due to their disease.
Glen Jones, 57, has been living at the Worchester Skilled Care Center for over 21 years, since a car accident left him in a coma for three weeks, and now confines him to an institutional setting for rehabilitation.
You can read more on the case and Mr. Jones’ story here.