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.

State Neurosurgery Service

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, together with Royal Perth Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital provide treatment of neurosurgical disorders.

State Rehabilitation Service

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

State Head Injury Unit

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:

NDIS Services – Synapse

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.

Compensation Claim – Synapse

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

Ella’s Story – YouTube

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

SABIR – Music (google.com)

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

Legal and Advocacy – Synapse

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)

Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) MOOC (2023-08) | The Wicking Dementia Centre (utas.edu.au)

Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment – Webinars/Workshops (assbi.com.au)

relentless-optimism.simplecast.com

Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment – BrainSpan Resources and Videos (assbi.com.au)

Drugs and Alcohol and ABI | Queensland Health