Helpful resources for professional staff
Here are some resources that you may find helpful in your journey when working with a TBI population.
- Access to medical and rehabilitation services
Here are lists of services that a person with TBI can access at different stages of their injury.
Trauma Service at Royal Perth Hospital
This is an acute service which provides inpatient care for acute injuries.
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, together with Royal Perth Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital provide treatment of neurosurgical disorders.
This is a statewide service inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation service provided to people suffering from traumatic brain injuries.
Click here to find out more about their services: State Rehabilitation Service, Patient information, (health.wa.gov.au)
Rehabilitation after hospital
Statewide service and specialist case coordination to provide rehabilitation and community reintegration for people with traumatic brain injury.
Brain Injury Rehabilitation: Brightwater
Brightwater provides rehabilitation in various methods, through residential rehabilitation at Oats Street, NDIS service providers, transitional accommodation and supported independent living.
2. Access to pastoral care and community access
Access to pastoral care should be available at all hospitals and rehabilitation service providers. Please do refer your clients to the appropriate sources of information when required.
Community access:
3. Understanding funding
Please speak to the social worker in your team to understand the implications of lack of income after a TBI, and how superannuation, TPD and disability service pensions work.
For support with understanding NDIS, you can check this website out: NDIS Services – Synapse
Guide to Low Cost Rehab – Synapse
4. Psychosocial support
Navigating life after TBI can be a tricky time for the client and their families. Please refer your clients to the following websites to gain further information/support.
Here are some inspirational stories of people with lived experience of TBI
Understanding BRAIN INJURY (braininjury-au.info)
SABIR – Inspirational Stories (google.com)
Video Stories – Brain Injury Matters
What is Brain Injury? – Brain Injury Matters
Follow the patient | Ben Clench | TEDxBrighton – YouTube
Broken Part 1: Living with a Brain Injury – YouTube
Headway – the brain injury association – YouTube
The Beautiful Summer Day When My Family Almost Died – The Atlantic
5. Social connection
Meeting new people or maintaining relationships can be tricky after brain injury.
Here are some sites that allow for your clients.
Carers and family support | Australia’s brain injury organisation (synapse.org.au)
The Social Brain Toolkit – ABI Communication Lab (sydney.edu.au)
6. Fun activities to engage with (Hobbies)
Here are new activities to engage with, inspirational music and videos to suggest to your clients
Listen to our Brain Injury Podcast | BrainBank Podcast (synapse.org.au)
Movies – Powell River Brain Injury Society
Additional Sleep Resources | MIT Medical
7. Advocacy
You can direct your clients to the following websites
AFRM Claims Advocacy – Brain Injury Australia
Voices Together – The Australian Self Advocacy Website
Individual advocacy – People with Disability Australia (pwd.org.au)
8. Education around TBI – for staff
Working with People with Traumatic Brain Injury – Home (tbistafftraining.info)
TBI Express – Faculty of Medicine and Health (sydney.edu.au)
TBIconneCT – Faculty of Medicine and Health (sydney.edu.au)
Moving Ahead CRE (unsw.edu.au)
Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment – Webinars/Workshops (assbi.com.au)