A young Galway man was paralysed after being hit with a brick to his head and has gone to the UK for treatment.

The attack left Tuam native Shane Grogan in need of 24-hour care and not able to communicate.

Shane was on his way home with his girlfriend in 2012 when he was struck with a brick.

The attacker Shane Byrne was given a two-and-a-half year jail sentence for the assault.

Shane's family are unhappy that their son had to go abroad for treatment and can only be looked after here in a nursing home even though he is a young man.

The 26-year-old was in the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dun Laoghaire for three months and also spent a similar length in the UK at the Leamington Spa Rehabilitation facility.

The UK facility specialises in taking care of patients with brain injuries.

Shane's dad Joe wants a new look to be taken at how Ireland takes care of people with brain injuries.

He said: "They had a whole different style of treatment [in the UK] and we got a much better understanding of his condition and what we could do to assist him with his treatment."

Shane has to be fed by a tube and is in a minimal conscious state.

His dad Joe told the Irish Independent: "It's just little things that can make a difference.

"These young people should not be in nursing homes where very little can be done for them. It's down to a lack of resources.

"We don't want to just leave Shane and others like him sitting in front of televisions. We want to do anything we can to stimulate them."

Shane is currently in the care of Aras Mhuire Nursing Home in Tuam, Co Galway.

He also has physio, Reflexology, music therapy and in the last few weeks visits from Irish Therapy Dogs which are showing some positive results.

Last September, Shane had some great news when his nephew Harry was born.

The Grogan family and other families are looking for a new centre where young people with brain injuries can be treated while they aren't in the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dun Laoghaire.

They want to lobby politicians for support through a new group called An Saol Foundation for a three-year-old pilot project to build support for people like Shane.

You can find more information at www.ansaol.ie or the Care for Shane fundraising page.