Brain Injury Awareness Week 2022

Brain Injury Awareness Week, 15 to 21 August 2022

Welcome to Brain Injury Awareness Week 2022. This year's theme is on the "Many Faces of Brain Injury".

Join the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania over the week as we share different aspects of brain injury in the Tasmanian community - follow BIAT on Facebook to get daily updates on what's coming up.

Monday, 15 August – Connection and Brain Injury

Brain injury can change a person’s sense of connection to the people around them and the general community. Many people report a change in their social life, and relationships with friends and family following a brain injury.

This can result in a general feeling of disconnection. Everyone’s experience of brain injury is different, but it is common for a person to have big changes in how they live their day-to-day life.

The focus of this day is on rebuilding connections with friends, family or your local community. We will highlight some of the supports available to help with feeling/finding connected.

How to engage on this day: Visit BIAT's Facebook page, hear from Peer Support Group member Bridget in the audio video below, and learn more about the BIAT Brain Injury Peer Support Program.

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Tuesday, 16 August – Justice and Brain Injury

People with brain injury are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. The reasons for this are complex but, often relate to the person’s brain injury related behaviour changes not being recognised or responded to appropriately.

Because of this, people with "invisible disabilities" are more likely to fall through the cracks, and cycle through the justice system unrecognised, and without the appropriate supports they need to live safe and meaningful lives in the community. For Brain Injury Awareness Week we will focus on the issues of Justice and Brain Injury.

How to engage on this day: Visit the BIAT website news page to read our article 'The hidden face of brain injury in Tasmania's criminal justice system' and learn more about relevant programs the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania are involved in, including the JustACE Program and Custody For Life.

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Wednesday, 17 August – Carers and Brain Injury

Becoming a carer for a person with a brain injury often happens suddenly and leads to significant changes to the carer’s life as well as the person with the brain injury.

On Wednesday we want to acknowledge the role of carers in supporting people with brain injury and the supports that are available to them.

How to engage on this day: Visit BIAT's Facebook page and read David and Alex's story on caring for someone with a brain injury. Support is available for carers in Tasmania through Care2Serve, find out more and complete our Carers Retreat Expression of Interest here.

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Thursday, 18 August – Community and Brain Injury

Spending time in your local community is an important part of a full life, and includes activities like shopping, attending appointments, socialising with family and friends and going to work.  

Following brain injury some people can find these activities challenging and can become disconnected from their community. The impacts of brain injury are often misunderstood due to a lack of awareness and understanding of brain injury in the community.  

As part of the 2022 Awareness Week campaign, we will showcase some of the resources and tools that are available to increase community understanding of brain injury and support positive community interaction and engagement for people with brain injury.

How to engage on this day: Visit BIAT's Facebook page to learn about resources that can help people with brain injury in the community. You can also read Belinda's story about the difference having a National Assistance Card has made to her life. For more information about the National Assistance Card, click here.

Friday, 19 August – Young People and Brain Injury

Young people are at high risk of brain injury. There’s nothing like face-to-face programs that engage young people to see first-hand the effects brain injury can have on individuals, families, friends and the community.

Brain Injury Awareness Week 2022 coincides with the last week of Rotary’s annual RYDA driver awareness program in the South of Tasmania. BIAT presents the Crash Investigators sessions.

And there’s no better time than now to get involved and work alongside BIAT to reimagine and co-design our new 2023 Heads Up 2 Brain Injury (HU2BI) schools program.  

How to engage on this day: View testimonials on BIAT's Facebook page from students and teachers about their experience of the 2022 RYDA program. Help us reimagine Heads Up 2 Brain Injury in 2023 by filling in an expression of interest through the form on the HU2BI page.

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Saturday, 20th August – Employment and Brain Injury

Employment plays a large role in everyone's lives, it can boost your confidence, increase your community engagement as well as help in developing  skills.

As part of Brain Injury Awareness Week in 2022, we are launching our Employ Me website. A range of resources have been developed to help people increase their capacity to discuss their employment interests, skills and experience, as well as discovering their strengths and set employment goals.

How to engage on this day: Visit the Employ Me website to learn more about the program and view the program resources. Get in touch with the program to get involved.

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Sunday, 21 August – Sport and Brain Injury

Concussion and sports related head injuries are increasingly prevalent in today's media.

For Brain Injury Awareness Week in 2022, BIAT talked with a handful of local Tasmanian sports people, from a range of sports, who have experienced concussion. Through their testimonials, hear from a range of stories, impacts and personal experiences about their...

How to engage on this day: Read short versions of the stories via the BIAT Facebook page and stay tuned for the upcoming news item with the full story via the BIAT News Page.

For more information regarding Brain Injury Awareness Week, click the links below:

• Like/Follow BIAT's Facebook Page
• Subscribe to the BIAT Newsletter‍