What happens after brain injury?

Brain Injury Awareness Week (August 17-23) will shine a light on the effects of brain injury and the value of rehabilitation.

Did you know that Anglicare delivers specialised support to Tasmanians who have a brain injury resulting from a motor vehicle accident?

Acquired brain injury (ABI) refers to any damage to the brain that occurs after birth. It can be caused by trauma, a stroke, brain infection, alcohol or other drug abuse, or a disease like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or Huntington’s disease.

Motor vehicle accidents are responsible for 70% of traumatic brain injuries. Most of those injured are young people, and two thirds of them are male.

Brain injury is sometimes referred to as a ‘hidden disability’.  While it’s hard to see, it has wide-ranging effects on a person’s thinking, emotions and behaviours. These are different for each person and often depend on the cause, nature and severity of the injury. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that more than 700,000 Australians have a brain injury that limits their daily activities.

Rehabilitation after a brain injury is often a long term process and may involve physical, occupational and speech therapy, psychiatric care and social support.

What services does Anglicare offer?

Anglicare provides personalised support to people with brain injury, as the state’s most experienced preferred service provider of the Motor Accidents Insurance Board (MAIB).

Anglicare’s friendly team offers a statewide, tailored support program to people with an acquired brain injury.  Anglicare manages a variety of accommodation options around Tasmania, including short-term transitional units,  residential facilities and supported independent living. We understand the benefits to people’s health and wellbeing of maintaining connections with friends, family, work and the wider community.

Anglicare assists people with household tasks, nursing support in their own home, specialist health services such as physiotherapy, transport to and from appointments, and skills development. We can also provide support for other complex issues that may follow a motor vehicle accident, such as financial hardship, relationship difficulties and mental health challenges.

Matthew* hits his goals

Matthew suffered a brain injury in a motor vehicle accident when he was 19 years old. With support from Anglicare, he has recently been working on a number of personal goals.

“Matthew has hit some major goals with exercise and weight control over the past eight months and has also started walking with assistance and aids,” said a Disability Services spokesperson. “He puts this improvement down to his Anglicare team finding a new physiotherapist, assisting him to complete his exercise routines and offering him the encouragement he needs to keep working at it.

“Matthew jokes that he is not always easy to motivate and get along with, but the way in which he has overcome some major hurdles is very impressive. He has now set a new goal of walking completely unassisted by the end of the year and plans to have a race with me to the end of the driveway and back in the next 12 months.”

More information?

Please contact us at info@anglicare-tas.org.au or ring 1800 243 232 for details of the support available from Anglicare. Alternatively, mention our name if you’re talking with the MAIB Claims Team and they will put you in touch with us.

Helpful information about preventing and understanding acquired brain injury can be found at Brain Injury Association of Tasmania – the state’s peak body for people living with or affected by brain injury.

*name changed for privacy reasons