WEBVTT - Synapse; many pathways one community. 0:00:45.593 --> 0:00:48.553 Hello and welcome to In Plain Sight, a program where 0:00:48.553 --> 0:00:51.193 we highlight people who are making a positive impact in 0:00:51.193 --> 0:00:53.513 the community and disability sector. 0:00:53.513 --> 0:00:56.393 Shining a light on those who would be otherwise hidden 0:00:56.393 --> 0:00:57.513 in plain sight. 0:00:57.513 --> 0:00:59.553 And it's a pleasure to bring you these stories on 0:00:59.553 --> 0:01:03.353 a weekly basis with you here on Vision Australia Radio. 0:01:03.353 --> 0:01:04.153 Hello, Andrew. 0:01:04.193 --> 0:01:05.313 How are you? Simon. 0:01:05.313 --> 0:01:07.793 Excellent. Always, as I say each week. Always great to 0:01:07.793 --> 0:01:09.753 be here and always great to be with you listening 0:01:09.753 --> 0:01:12.793 out there. And, um, it's always such a pleasure to 0:01:12.833 --> 0:01:14.553 bring this program to the listeners. Andrew. 0:01:15.033 --> 0:01:18.393 It is. Yeah, it's quite a privilege we have making 0:01:18.393 --> 0:01:21.153 this program each week. The extraordinary range of people we 0:01:21.153 --> 0:01:22.953 get to speak to. It's very exciting. 0:01:22.953 --> 0:01:26.193 It is exciting, and it's also a great learning experience. 0:01:26.193 --> 0:01:28.873 Not only do I learn a lot from the conversations 0:01:28.873 --> 0:01:32.072 that I have with these fabulous guests each week, but 0:01:32.113 --> 0:01:34.673 I learn a lot through the research that I do 0:01:34.673 --> 0:01:37.313 for this program, and I learn a lot from the 0:01:37.313 --> 0:01:41.372 people listening who bring me feedback and information as they go. 0:01:41.373 --> 0:01:44.293 So this week we are talking about brain injury and 0:01:44.293 --> 0:01:49.253 brain injury awareness. Now, Andrew, we talked to someone from synapse, Australia. Andrew, 0:01:49.293 --> 0:01:53.373 you've got some information there from synapse website about the 0:01:53.373 --> 0:01:56.373 occurrence of acquired brain injury and some of the facts 0:01:56.373 --> 0:01:58.653 and figures around brain injury. Yes. 0:01:58.653 --> 0:02:02.493 Our guest is Adam Schickerling who's the CEO of synapse. 0:02:02.493 --> 0:02:06.253 And yeah, some interesting facts and figures about brain injury. 0:02:06.253 --> 0:02:10.053 About 1 in 45 Australians actually live with a brain injury, 0:02:10.453 --> 0:02:16.213 which represents something like over 450,000 Australians that actually live 0:02:16.213 --> 0:02:19.573 with a brain injury. And almost 3 in 4 people 0:02:19.573 --> 0:02:24.093 with a brain injury are under 65. Another interesting fact 0:02:24.093 --> 0:02:28.653 is more men than women actually have brain injuries. There's 0:02:28.653 --> 0:02:31.133 all kinds of facts and figures here, but there's every 0:02:31.133 --> 0:02:34.453 four minutes someone in Australia is hospitalised with a head 0:02:34.453 --> 0:02:39.953 injury and the causes of brain injury. Most brain injuries 0:02:39.953 --> 0:02:45.273 are caused. About 39% are caused from falls. About 31% 0:02:45.273 --> 0:02:50.633 from motor vehicle accidents and cycling accidents and assaults, which 0:02:50.633 --> 0:02:54.633 is a really interesting figure to think about. And Adam 0:02:54.673 --> 0:02:58.632 talks about this in the interview. Roughly 12% of brain 0:02:58.633 --> 0:03:03.273 injuries come from assaults, which is a very sobering thought. 0:03:03.633 --> 0:03:07.633 Sobering, a good term to use there, Andrew. If we 0:03:07.633 --> 0:03:11.113 look at the facts there and the figures there, that 0:03:11.153 --> 0:03:15.032 so many men of a certain age do acquire a 0:03:15.032 --> 0:03:18.233 brain injury, and if we all know the some of 0:03:18.233 --> 0:03:22.472 the dangerous and reckless behaviour that men of a certain 0:03:22.472 --> 0:03:26.433 age youth get up to, not only can they do 0:03:26.433 --> 0:03:29.153 something dangerous and hurt themselves, but get in a situation 0:03:29.153 --> 0:03:32.192 where they might be hurt by somebody else. As we 0:03:32.192 --> 0:03:35.953 will discover when we talk to Adam, the result of 0:03:35.953 --> 0:03:39.893 a brain injury. There is, as we like to say, 0:03:39.893 --> 0:03:44.813 a spectrum of symptoms, if you like, or physical signs 0:03:44.813 --> 0:03:47.452 of what might look like a brain injury. And we 0:03:47.453 --> 0:03:49.373 will go through some of that as we listen to 0:03:49.413 --> 0:03:52.613 our conversation with Adam. But part of what we are 0:03:52.613 --> 0:03:56.813 doing here is to highlight that one. Your brain is 0:03:57.053 --> 0:04:00.933 a precious, very delicate object. And please look after your 0:04:00.933 --> 0:04:03.933 head and the brain inside. And please take care of 0:04:03.933 --> 0:04:06.853 yourself and others. And as we listen to this conversation 0:04:06.853 --> 0:04:10.213 with Adam, be aware of you might know someone that 0:04:10.213 --> 0:04:13.453 has an acquired brain injury that might not even know 0:04:13.453 --> 0:04:16.813 it themselves. So if you see signs or symptoms that 0:04:16.813 --> 0:04:20.453 may appear to be effects from a brain injury, look 0:04:20.453 --> 0:04:23.813 into it. Ask your doctor, ask somebody and contact a 0:04:23.813 --> 0:04:27.733 support organization like synapse to find out if your friend 0:04:27.733 --> 0:04:29.933 or your family member has a brain injury and what 0:04:29.933 --> 0:04:31.533 we can do about it. And that's the kind of 0:04:31.573 --> 0:04:33.213 things we're going to learn by this conversation. 0:04:33.213 --> 0:04:36.073 And just before we do that, it's probably worth mentioning 0:04:36.073 --> 0:04:39.513 the synapse website as well, which people can go to 0:04:39.553 --> 0:04:42.873 to find out all kinds of resources. So it's synapse 0:04:42.873 --> 0:04:46.793 SYNAPSE synapse.org.au. 0:04:47.513 --> 0:04:50.633 And just to let people know, to synapse have a 0:04:50.633 --> 0:04:54.272 bunch of peer support groups across the country. And the 0:04:54.313 --> 0:04:58.273 support group here in West Australia is called Reconnections. Look 0:04:58.313 --> 0:05:02.033 out for that and contact synapse and contact us here 0:05:02.033 --> 0:05:05.392 at Vision Australia Radio at In Plain Sight at Vision 0:05:05.393 --> 0:05:08.913 australia.org to find out the further details about those support 0:05:08.953 --> 0:05:10.033 groups in synapse. 0:05:10.393 --> 0:05:13.073 And here's your interview with Adam. 0:05:13.553 --> 0:05:14.433 Hello, Adam. 0:05:14.513 --> 0:05:15.952 Hello. Thanks for having me. 0:05:16.233 --> 0:05:18.233 Adam. I'll get you to start by telling us a 0:05:18.233 --> 0:05:21.673 little bit about what synapse is and what their aims are. 0:05:22.113 --> 0:05:26.193 Sure. So synapse is the only national brain injury organisation 0:05:26.193 --> 0:05:29.393 that is working directly with people that are impacted by 0:05:29.393 --> 0:05:33.513 brain injury across the country. So we do a range 0:05:33.513 --> 0:05:37.653 of things, but really, I guess our overall focus is 0:05:37.653 --> 0:05:43.053 about improving awareness and understanding of brain injury, how it 0:05:43.053 --> 0:05:47.013 comes about, the impacts of brain injury on people's lives, 0:05:47.213 --> 0:05:51.053 and really, I guess, a strong focus on trying to 0:05:51.053 --> 0:05:55.973 help services in all parts of community respond better to 0:05:56.013 --> 0:05:58.893 the impact of brain injury on someone's life. Mhm. So 0:05:58.893 --> 0:06:01.133 that they can do all the things that all of 0:06:01.133 --> 0:06:02.093 us take for granted. 0:06:02.133 --> 0:06:05.253 Um, just to cover the bases. Give us some examples 0:06:05.253 --> 0:06:08.053 of what brain injury is. We kind of know if 0:06:08.053 --> 0:06:09.933 you get hit in the head, you get a brain injury. 0:06:09.933 --> 0:06:12.773 And for those of us that, like me, are sports fans, 0:06:12.773 --> 0:06:15.892 we're all well aware of concussion in sports and things 0:06:15.893 --> 0:06:18.653 that can lead to long term brain injury and so forth. 0:06:18.693 --> 0:06:21.413 It can be so many different things, which is one 0:06:21.413 --> 0:06:24.733 of the real challenges with brain injury and with awareness 0:06:24.733 --> 0:06:28.093 of brain injury, particularly because it's invisible. So the sort 0:06:28.093 --> 0:06:31.453 of impact of brain injury, unless someone is, uh, has 0:06:31.453 --> 0:06:34.073 an injury and is bleeding and has a, you know, 0:06:34.113 --> 0:06:38.993 visible injury. Nobody knows that anything is going on. So, um, 0:06:39.033 --> 0:06:42.633 brain injury itself can be caused by lots of different things. 0:06:42.913 --> 0:06:46.913 Most people tend to know most about things like traumatic 0:06:46.913 --> 0:06:50.713 brain injury. Um, which is the term we use to speak, 0:06:50.753 --> 0:06:55.433 you know, largely or generally I guess about um physical, um, 0:06:55.473 --> 0:06:59.513 interference or disruption to the brain, um, things like concussion, 0:06:59.513 --> 0:07:02.913 like you mentioned, uh, things that people are becoming much 0:07:02.913 --> 0:07:06.873 more aware of, uh, concussion. Often you might hear people 0:07:06.873 --> 0:07:12.113 refer to concussion as a mild TBI. Um, but also 0:07:12.153 --> 0:07:18.153 things like in, say, older populations, uh, things like stroke, um, the, 0:07:18.153 --> 0:07:21.953 the impact of, of stroke, um, being, being what we 0:07:21.953 --> 0:07:26.913 talk about with brain injury, other degenerative conditions. Another area 0:07:26.913 --> 0:07:29.313 of brain injury that that many people don't know a 0:07:29.313 --> 0:07:32.453 lot about is what we sometimes can refer to as 0:07:32.453 --> 0:07:36.293 hypoxic brain injuries, which is often where oxygen has been 0:07:36.293 --> 0:07:38.653 limited in getting to the brain. So we can see 0:07:38.653 --> 0:07:43.453 that often through things like violence and strangulation, sometimes in 0:07:43.453 --> 0:07:47.253 people that do a lot of diving, um, you know, 0:07:47.293 --> 0:07:50.693 a lot of those types of things. But also you've got, 0:07:50.733 --> 0:07:54.533 you know, I guess something that's particularly prevalent in discussions 0:07:54.533 --> 0:07:59.013 at the moment, um, a lot of brain injury being sustained, uh, 0:07:59.013 --> 0:08:02.613 as a result of repeated blows to the head. Concussion 0:08:02.653 --> 0:08:05.693 obviously is the obvious thing we talk about. A lot 0:08:05.693 --> 0:08:07.773 of people have become a lot more aware of things 0:08:07.773 --> 0:08:12.733 like CTE as the result of concussion, um, being diagnosed 0:08:12.733 --> 0:08:16.693 later in life. But often what people, uh, don't necessarily 0:08:16.693 --> 0:08:20.133 understand is it's that same sort of impact that happens 0:08:20.133 --> 0:08:24.013 in often women that are the victims of domestic violence, 0:08:24.413 --> 0:08:28.653 where repeated blows to the head, perhaps strangulation, where oxygen 0:08:28.653 --> 0:08:31.873 to the brain is being limited. Um, so those types 0:08:31.873 --> 0:08:34.873 of impacts, while we know about them in sport can 0:08:34.873 --> 0:08:37.273 be quite common across other areas as well. 0:08:37.313 --> 0:08:39.913 I think on your web page, there was a whole 0:08:39.913 --> 0:08:42.992 section about violence and domestic violence. 0:08:43.033 --> 0:08:45.673 Yeah, that would be right. It's certainly a really quite 0:08:45.673 --> 0:08:49.393 a significant focus for us at the moment, particularly probably 0:08:49.393 --> 0:08:52.113 one of the key, uh, things that we talk about 0:08:52.153 --> 0:08:56.513 often in relation to domestic violence is that one of 0:08:56.513 --> 0:09:00.993 the real challenges most people know that many people that 0:09:01.273 --> 0:09:04.593 are subject to violence in that way often will really 0:09:04.593 --> 0:09:07.553 struggle to report it to the police or to go 0:09:07.553 --> 0:09:10.433 and get medical help for a whole range of different reasons. 0:09:10.633 --> 0:09:13.353 And as you can imagine, if someone has sustained an 0:09:13.513 --> 0:09:16.113 injury to their brain as a result of that violence, 0:09:16.393 --> 0:09:19.793 if they're not talking to people or getting help, that 0:09:19.793 --> 0:09:23.753 injury goes unnoticed. So the impact of that injury can 0:09:23.753 --> 0:09:28.703 continue to get worse the more that those situations occur. Um, 0:09:28.743 --> 0:09:30.982 and all the while the person may not get any 0:09:30.983 --> 0:09:33.943 medical help at all, which is quite different to a 0:09:33.943 --> 0:09:37.863 scenario of someone that might acquire a brain injury, for example, 0:09:37.863 --> 0:09:41.463 through a car accident or a sporting accident, where the 0:09:41.463 --> 0:09:45.583 immediate response is to see a medical professional get advice 0:09:45.583 --> 0:09:48.623 on what sort of impact has happened. You know, how 0:09:48.623 --> 0:09:51.823 to best support recovery from that impact. All these things 0:09:51.823 --> 0:09:54.303 that we can do to try to minimize the impact 0:09:54.303 --> 0:09:58.503 of injury to the brain in someone that might be, uh, 0:09:58.543 --> 0:10:01.903 subjected to violence. Often they don't have those opportunities. 0:10:01.943 --> 0:10:05.503 Adam, you're the CEO. Can you tell us firstly, how 0:10:05.503 --> 0:10:09.063 long you've been there and what brought you to that organization? 0:10:09.103 --> 0:10:13.463 Yeah. So I've been the CEO at synapse more recently 0:10:13.463 --> 0:10:16.303 and worked for synapse for about ten years now. Okay. 0:10:16.343 --> 0:10:19.663 And I guess most of my background is in the 0:10:19.663 --> 0:10:24.543 area of disability, but, but particularly, I guess my interest 0:10:24.543 --> 0:10:29.763 in brain injury is really understanding, probably the intersection between 0:10:30.123 --> 0:10:33.443 injury and the sort of barriers that people face in 0:10:33.483 --> 0:10:36.883 their lives that are not different for someone with a 0:10:36.883 --> 0:10:39.923 brain injury to everyone else, but they are amplified. And, 0:10:39.923 --> 0:10:43.763 and that's a really, I think we see often when 0:10:43.803 --> 0:10:46.963 working with people with brain injury, that there are so 0:10:46.963 --> 0:10:50.083 many people that are impacted by brain injury in so 0:10:50.083 --> 0:10:54.163 many different ways, but often they're not identified. So very 0:10:54.163 --> 0:10:56.923 often people may be impacted by brain injury and not 0:10:56.923 --> 0:11:00.443 know they actually have a brain injury. And in those cases, we'll, 0:11:00.643 --> 0:11:02.643 you know, we often see a lot of people that 0:11:02.643 --> 0:11:07.883 are impacted by brain injury in areas like incarceration, children 0:11:07.883 --> 0:11:10.323 that might be in out of home care having been 0:11:10.323 --> 0:11:13.203 removed from their families. Um, we see a lot of 0:11:13.203 --> 0:11:18.443 people with brain injury in the homelessness sector, um, where 0:11:18.443 --> 0:11:21.803 these things aren't, aren't identified or often they may be 0:11:21.803 --> 0:11:27.423 misunderstood or assumed to be mental health issues rather than 0:11:27.823 --> 0:11:29.623 an actual problem with the brain. 0:11:29.663 --> 0:11:34.423 You mentioned that synapse is an Australia wide a national organisation. 0:11:34.703 --> 0:11:38.943 Yeah. So synapse as it is today is a national organisation, 0:11:38.943 --> 0:11:43.143 is the combination of a number of brain injury organisations 0:11:43.143 --> 0:11:46.503 that have come together over the years. So both in 0:11:46.503 --> 0:11:50.623 Queensland um was Brain Injury Association of Queensland, the Brain 0:11:50.623 --> 0:11:54.583 Injury Association of New South Wales, the Stroke Association of 0:11:54.583 --> 0:11:58.903 Queensland and also head west in WA. So synapse today 0:11:58.903 --> 0:12:01.783 is really the product of all of those organisations coming 0:12:01.823 --> 0:12:05.703 together to try to, I guess, really amplify the voice 0:12:05.703 --> 0:12:09.903 and the advocacy around brain injury nationally, because it's something 0:12:09.903 --> 0:12:13.783 that just doesn't happen enough. We know the prevalence is 0:12:13.783 --> 0:12:15.463 significant and growing. 0:12:15.503 --> 0:12:19.823 So synapse is um, both an advocacy organisation and a 0:12:19.823 --> 0:12:21.183 service provider. Is that right? 0:12:21.223 --> 0:12:25.683 We are. Yeah. That's right. Our national focus really is 0:12:25.683 --> 0:12:30.323 about getting information out across communities about brain injury and 0:12:30.323 --> 0:12:33.363 what it is and how it impacts people. Mhm. That's 0:12:33.363 --> 0:12:36.723 really the core of what we do. But at the 0:12:36.723 --> 0:12:40.563 same time, we deliver specific services to individuals with brain 0:12:40.563 --> 0:12:45.243 injury and families and organizations, um, in different places across 0:12:45.243 --> 0:12:48.683 the country. Uh, we also do or have involvement in 0:12:48.683 --> 0:12:53.083 quite a lot of different research activities, um, from younger 0:12:53.083 --> 0:12:57.243 age to older age, um, all different, I guess, scenarios 0:12:57.243 --> 0:12:59.923 of how brain injuries might be acquired or the sort 0:12:59.923 --> 0:13:03.203 of supports people might need. So research is a really 0:13:03.203 --> 0:13:06.563 important part of us being able to get information out 0:13:06.563 --> 0:13:09.163 to community that is evidence based. 0:13:09.203 --> 0:13:12.483 I noticed researching some of the services that are available 0:13:12.523 --> 0:13:15.083 here in Western Australia. The first kind of things you 0:13:15.083 --> 0:13:20.563 see are hospital based rehab type services. I'm assuming that 0:13:20.563 --> 0:13:23.303 synapse doesn't do that type of thing. It's after you've 0:13:23.303 --> 0:13:27.223 had your medical rehabilitation and recovery. Would that be right? 0:13:28.023 --> 0:13:32.743 Generally speaking, yeah, that would be correct. I think most 0:13:32.743 --> 0:13:35.503 of the work that we do is at the end 0:13:35.503 --> 0:13:37.943 of the or not the end of the pathway, often 0:13:37.943 --> 0:13:40.343 the start of the pathway for people once they leave 0:13:40.343 --> 0:13:44.103 rehab and go back home. And normally what we tend 0:13:44.103 --> 0:13:46.742 to find is often people when they get an injury 0:13:47.423 --> 0:13:50.143 and they're in hospital or in a rehab unit, they 0:13:50.143 --> 0:13:53.903 have access to lots of different people helping them, lots 0:13:53.903 --> 0:13:57.383 of therapies, lots of supports in place. And often it's 0:13:57.383 --> 0:14:01.023 when people first get home that they then realize the 0:14:01.023 --> 0:14:03.823 gravity of the changes that have happened in their lives, 0:14:04.023 --> 0:14:07.623 and that everyday things that they perhaps didn't realize they 0:14:07.623 --> 0:14:09.463 might not be able to do as well, or it 0:14:09.463 --> 0:14:13.303 might be harder. And so often we find that people 0:14:13.303 --> 0:14:16.502 are period of time after they get home from rehab 0:14:16.703 --> 0:14:20.003 is normally when they reach out to us because they're 0:14:20.003 --> 0:14:23.923 starting to find things difficult. And there's just frequently not 0:14:24.123 --> 0:14:28.283 the available services for people to draw on. And often 0:14:28.283 --> 0:14:31.923 the mainstream services, even if that might be, you know, 0:14:31.963 --> 0:14:34.883 GPS or, you know, whatever it may be in a 0:14:34.883 --> 0:14:39.283 local community, often they also really lack current knowledge about 0:14:39.283 --> 0:14:42.723 brain injury and what that means for someone. So we 0:14:42.723 --> 0:14:44.683 really do a lot of work, or we try our 0:14:44.683 --> 0:14:46.683 best to do a lot of work to try to 0:14:46.683 --> 0:14:50.923 get people connected to both information and services as best 0:14:50.923 --> 0:14:53.563 we can. Um, and at the same time trying to 0:14:53.563 --> 0:14:57.043 build awareness of those services so they can actually support 0:14:57.043 --> 0:14:57.963 people better. 0:14:59.163 --> 0:15:02.003 On Vision Australia radio, you're listening to In Plain Sight 0:15:02.003 --> 0:15:05.483 with Simon Chong and me, Andrew Williams. Our guest this 0:15:05.483 --> 0:15:09.363 week is Adam Schickerling, who is the CEO of synapse, 0:15:09.363 --> 0:15:12.683 which is Australia's peak organisation, providing a range of support 0:15:12.683 --> 0:15:16.443 services and advocacy for people who've been impacted by brain 0:15:16.443 --> 0:15:20.343 injury and disability. And now it's back to Simon and Adam. 0:15:20.823 --> 0:15:25.263 Talking about awareness during August. We have Brain Injury Awareness Week, 0:15:25.263 --> 0:15:27.903 which has just been recently. Tell us some of the 0:15:27.903 --> 0:15:31.743 main aims of that. I remember that the overall theme 0:15:31.743 --> 0:15:35.583 was many pathways, one community or something along those lines. 0:15:35.623 --> 0:15:38.583 Yeah, yeah, that's that theme for this year is correct. 0:15:38.583 --> 0:15:41.543 And I guess really the focus of that theme and 0:15:41.543 --> 0:15:44.263 why we're talking so much about that. Um, as well 0:15:44.263 --> 0:15:48.463 as other brain injury organisations across the country is really 0:15:48.463 --> 0:15:52.543 very much raising that awareness for people that while brain 0:15:52.543 --> 0:15:56.383 injury is a diagnosis, a particular diagnosis, many people are 0:15:56.383 --> 0:16:00.143 not diagnosed, you know, so that's one important point. But 0:16:00.143 --> 0:16:03.543 the other important point is even those that do have 0:16:03.543 --> 0:16:06.943 a diagnosis, what brain injury looks like for them is 0:16:06.943 --> 0:16:09.983 entirely different to the person next to them. So we 0:16:09.983 --> 0:16:13.663 know with brain injury that the sort of injury or 0:16:13.663 --> 0:16:17.603 the impacts of an injury that someone will recognize will 0:16:17.603 --> 0:16:21.203 be completely different based on what part of the brain 0:16:21.203 --> 0:16:24.083 has been damaged, how severely that part of the brain 0:16:24.083 --> 0:16:27.163 has been damaged. All of those things will determine what 0:16:27.203 --> 0:16:30.083 sort of functions in our body will be impacted, whether 0:16:30.083 --> 0:16:33.003 it's our cognition and how we think and feel, whether 0:16:33.003 --> 0:16:36.363 it's how we move, whether it's our vision or our hearing. 0:16:36.723 --> 0:16:40.283 You know, all of these things are controlled by our brain. 0:16:40.403 --> 0:16:44.043 And so the type of injury really impacts what the 0:16:44.043 --> 0:16:47.443 result of a brain injury is for someone. So this 0:16:47.443 --> 0:16:50.963 year's theme is really very much about highlighting that that 0:16:50.963 --> 0:16:55.043 experience is different for everybody. There's then a really a 0:16:55.083 --> 0:16:58.963 secondary layer that's important in that depending on where we 0:16:59.003 --> 0:17:03.843 come from, our cultural background, what access to financial resources 0:17:03.843 --> 0:17:07.922 we have, where we live, how easily we can access services. 0:17:08.203 --> 0:17:12.082 All of these things will then also impact how well 0:17:12.082 --> 0:17:15.023 we can manage the impact of that brain injury. So 0:17:15.023 --> 0:17:18.143 this year's theme is really about recognizing that every brain 0:17:18.143 --> 0:17:22.302 injury is different, every person is different, every story is different. 0:17:22.503 --> 0:17:26.223 And we really do this work every year just to 0:17:26.263 --> 0:17:29.863 try to really raise awareness of that across communities, particularly 0:17:29.863 --> 0:17:33.782 when we're talking about something like brain injury that people 0:17:33.782 --> 0:17:35.063 can't visibly see. 0:17:35.103 --> 0:17:36.703 Tell us about. 0:17:36.703 --> 0:17:40.503 Some of the services that you provide there. 0:17:40.542 --> 0:17:43.663 Yeah. So we do a variety of things. We generally 0:17:43.663 --> 0:17:48.542 don't do, uh, clinical type services. So we provide a 0:17:48.542 --> 0:17:51.943 lot of support into people's homes in some parts of 0:17:51.943 --> 0:17:54.743 the country. Uh, and so in some cases, it might 0:17:54.743 --> 0:17:58.383 be where someone are connected with the NDIS. In other cases, 0:17:58.382 --> 0:18:01.503 it might be people that, for example, might have had, uh, 0:18:01.503 --> 0:18:05.782 motor vehicle accidents and the insurers in each state, um, 0:18:05.822 --> 0:18:09.703 that are providing support for the individual. Um, so we 0:18:09.822 --> 0:18:13.562 do some work in the area of that direct support. 0:18:13.562 --> 0:18:18.443 We also in some areas deliver housing for people where 0:18:18.443 --> 0:18:20.922 that might be part of the challenge that they're facing. 0:18:21.362 --> 0:18:25.483 We do some work as an organization particularly, or a 0:18:25.483 --> 0:18:28.723 very strong focus of our organization is working with Aboriginal 0:18:28.723 --> 0:18:31.843 and Torres Strait Islander communities. And in that area, we 0:18:31.842 --> 0:18:37.003 do a lot of training and information for communities and organizations, 0:18:37.203 --> 0:18:41.602 as well as screening for brain injury in different settings. 0:18:41.963 --> 0:18:46.003 So that's an important part. We also, on a national level, 0:18:46.003 --> 0:18:50.123 we have a call centre that people can reach out 0:18:50.122 --> 0:18:54.362 to us to ask questions about brain injury, to access 0:18:54.483 --> 0:18:58.282 information about different things they might be going through. We 0:18:58.282 --> 0:19:01.523 run a series of different sorts of peer groups across 0:19:01.523 --> 0:19:04.842 the country in different locations that we try to link 0:19:04.842 --> 0:19:08.882 people into. And we also have some areas, particularly in 0:19:08.882 --> 0:19:11.483 New South Wales, where we deliver a lot of individual 0:19:11.582 --> 0:19:14.263 advocacy where people can come to us, where they have 0:19:14.263 --> 0:19:18.102 a really specific issue that they need some help to navigate, 0:19:18.102 --> 0:19:21.862 whether that's around their housing or access to services or 0:19:21.862 --> 0:19:25.183 whatever it may be. And we can provide individual advocates 0:19:25.183 --> 0:19:28.183 that can help people work through those issues with a 0:19:28.183 --> 0:19:30.942 with a really good understanding of the impact of brain 0:19:30.943 --> 0:19:33.982 injury on the sort of issues the person is facing. 0:19:34.102 --> 0:19:37.742 So in regards to advocacy, Synapse in New South Wales 0:19:37.743 --> 0:19:41.743 has individual advocacy. But in general you focus on systemic advocacy. 0:19:41.743 --> 0:19:42.463 Is that right? 0:19:42.503 --> 0:19:46.302 Absolutely, yes. It's a very, very strong focus for us, 0:19:46.302 --> 0:19:50.983 and mainly because, as I mentioned earlier, that we know 0:19:50.983 --> 0:19:53.582 that there is a lot of people with brain injury 0:19:53.582 --> 0:19:57.343 across the country that are not able to access the 0:19:57.342 --> 0:20:01.703 right services and supports like everybody else, you know, and, 0:20:01.703 --> 0:20:04.382 and there's also a lot of people that we know, 0:20:04.743 --> 0:20:08.103 have or are impacted by brain injury, but might not 0:20:08.102 --> 0:20:11.963 be receiving funded services from the government, you know, or 0:20:11.963 --> 0:20:14.602 they might not even know that they have a brain injury. 0:20:14.763 --> 0:20:18.163 So often we see a lot of people that can 0:20:18.163 --> 0:20:22.643 be really disadvantaged, both financially and socially. You know, things 0:20:22.642 --> 0:20:25.802 after brain injury can become a lot harder, a lot 0:20:25.802 --> 0:20:28.842 more overwhelming. You know, some of the impacts of of 0:20:28.842 --> 0:20:32.322 brain injury, they can be so far reaching from a 0:20:32.362 --> 0:20:35.963 sort of physical disability, but through to, you know, people 0:20:35.963 --> 0:20:39.282 that might really struggle with memory, you know, remembering pieces 0:20:39.282 --> 0:20:43.082 of information after a short period of time. Or, um, 0:20:43.122 --> 0:20:45.963 it might be about regulating their emotions and, you know, 0:20:46.003 --> 0:20:48.802 getting upset and not being able to calm down as well. 0:20:48.842 --> 0:20:52.523 You know, we see probably around about 60%, some of 0:20:52.523 --> 0:20:55.882 the evidence says of people with brain injury that also 0:20:55.882 --> 0:21:00.003 develop a mental health condition. Alongside that, often due to 0:21:00.042 --> 0:21:05.363 the the impact of feeling isolated and alone after injury. 0:21:05.403 --> 0:21:08.622 You know, so there's so many different things that impact 0:21:08.622 --> 0:21:11.903 people with a brain injury. And it's really the importance 0:21:11.903 --> 0:21:15.462 of that theme this year, being every brain injury is different. 0:21:15.822 --> 0:21:18.703 It really helps us recognize people with brain injury are 0:21:18.703 --> 0:21:21.302 just like you and I. We're all the same. Um, 0:21:21.342 --> 0:21:24.862 there's just some additional challenges on top of that. You know, 0:21:24.903 --> 0:21:28.023 so we've got to really recognize that people with brain 0:21:28.023 --> 0:21:31.623 injury are struggling with mental health. People with brain injury 0:21:31.622 --> 0:21:35.663 are struggling with often with, with housing or with relationships 0:21:35.663 --> 0:21:38.422 in the family and, you know, a whole range of 0:21:38.423 --> 0:21:40.062 different things in life. 0:21:40.582 --> 0:21:43.023 So, Adam, you were just talking about the isolation and 0:21:43.023 --> 0:21:46.822 loneliness and mental health challenges of people who have an 0:21:46.822 --> 0:21:50.062 acquired brain injury. I believe you have some support groups 0:21:50.062 --> 0:21:53.542 connect up groups, coffee groups or something along those lines 0:21:53.542 --> 0:21:54.623 in different locations. 0:21:54.703 --> 0:21:57.463 We do. Yes, it's a I, I think we find 0:21:57.463 --> 0:22:00.342 it's a really critical part of the work we do 0:22:00.382 --> 0:22:03.663 is not only getting information out to people impacted by 0:22:03.663 --> 0:22:08.723 injury and communities, but it's connecting people with brain injury 0:22:08.723 --> 0:22:12.042 and families and carers of people with brain injury together, 0:22:12.042 --> 0:22:16.243 because the most powerful learning, often for people, is hearing 0:22:16.243 --> 0:22:19.082 and understanding the story of someone else that has been 0:22:19.082 --> 0:22:22.802 through similar things. And that's a really important part. So 0:22:22.802 --> 0:22:27.202 we have a whole series of groups that run across 0:22:27.203 --> 0:22:30.122 the country in different locations for people to catch up, 0:22:30.282 --> 0:22:35.923 sometimes social activities, sometimes it's more about information and learning 0:22:36.322 --> 0:22:39.042 that people want to do. Um, so it can be 0:22:39.042 --> 0:22:42.282 for a whole range of reasons. And I guess importantly 0:22:42.282 --> 0:22:45.723 with that, it's really very much driven by people in 0:22:45.723 --> 0:22:49.562 community themselves approaching us. And then we try to help 0:22:49.562 --> 0:22:52.442 them put things in place for, for those groups to 0:22:52.483 --> 0:22:57.083 be facilitated so that it's people running those groups themselves, 0:22:57.322 --> 0:23:00.082 but having us as a resource to assist them to 0:23:00.122 --> 0:23:02.723 do it. But we do also run a series of 0:23:02.723 --> 0:23:04.962 online groups for people that might not be able to 0:23:05.062 --> 0:23:08.102 get out and about as easily. So it's really about 0:23:08.102 --> 0:23:11.943 just providing that opportunity for people to connect with each other, 0:23:11.943 --> 0:23:14.542 debrief a bit, share a bit about the challenges going 0:23:14.542 --> 0:23:15.623 on for them in life. 0:23:15.622 --> 0:23:18.023 Just remind us what those groups are called, please, Adam. 0:23:18.342 --> 0:23:23.263 So some of those, the in-person groups are called reconnections groups. 0:23:23.503 --> 0:23:24.263 I like that. 0:23:24.302 --> 0:23:26.542 And there's lots of links on our website and that 0:23:26.542 --> 0:23:29.463 sort of thing. If anyone wants to reach out about those. 0:23:29.503 --> 0:23:32.702 We are broadcasting from the Perth studios of Vision Australia, 0:23:32.903 --> 0:23:37.342 and I believe that your office is in Cloverdale or Belmont, 0:23:37.382 --> 0:23:40.942 and those reconnection groups are held in the Belmont Hub. 0:23:41.183 --> 0:23:43.382 I looked that up online, if you can, and you 0:23:43.382 --> 0:23:45.782 can find those, and I will share those details on 0:23:45.782 --> 0:23:49.143 the podcast description and show notes. Can you tell us, Adam, 0:23:49.183 --> 0:23:52.382 how does one get connected with an organisation like yours? 0:23:52.423 --> 0:23:55.263 Yeah. So it can be various different ways. I think 0:23:55.263 --> 0:23:59.542 we often find that when people sustain an injury, um, 0:23:59.542 --> 0:24:03.382 and they end up in a hospital or getting, uh, 0:24:03.483 --> 0:24:07.963 medical support and maybe going through rehab. Often the hospital 0:24:07.963 --> 0:24:11.403 or the rehab unit will try to provide people with 0:24:11.403 --> 0:24:14.802 information about sign ups, uh, as they leave the service 0:24:14.802 --> 0:24:18.163 so that that contact point is there. Certainly people can 0:24:18.163 --> 0:24:21.443 find us online and all those types of things. Um, 0:24:21.483 --> 0:24:25.243 but increasingly, I guess we tend to also connect with 0:24:25.243 --> 0:24:29.642 people in the work we do out in communities and 0:24:29.642 --> 0:24:33.803 getting out and talking to different groups around the country. Um, 0:24:33.842 --> 0:24:36.402 that tends to be the way we connect with a 0:24:36.403 --> 0:24:39.362 lot of people, but, um, we have a whole range 0:24:39.362 --> 0:24:42.962 of information, of course on our website, but often people 0:24:42.963 --> 0:24:45.642 just really want to talk to someone, you know, and 0:24:45.642 --> 0:24:48.123 so that's a really important part of what we do. 0:24:48.322 --> 0:24:52.242 Whilst the NDIS is an important and valuable scheme, it 0:24:52.243 --> 0:24:54.643 is quite controversial right at the moment. Can you tell 0:24:54.642 --> 0:24:58.122 us like someone's had a car accident or a workplace accident, 0:24:58.122 --> 0:25:02.152 whatever it might be, what gets looked at first because 0:25:02.193 --> 0:25:05.872 obviously sometimes the obvious thing is, oh, look, their arm 0:25:05.913 --> 0:25:08.433 or their legs are smashed up and they need physical 0:25:08.433 --> 0:25:10.632 rehab for that kind of thing. And the brain injury 0:25:10.632 --> 0:25:14.072 might not be as noticeable. How is that addressed within 0:25:14.112 --> 0:25:15.673 an organization like yourself? 0:25:15.713 --> 0:25:19.273 Yeah, again, that's a really interesting question because one of 0:25:19.273 --> 0:25:23.552 the things we often talk to families about this, that 0:25:23.552 --> 0:25:26.032 often what we tend to find is a lot of 0:25:26.032 --> 0:25:30.152 people that may have sustained an injury and been through 0:25:30.193 --> 0:25:34.312 maybe a hospital or whatever it may be. Often it's 0:25:34.312 --> 0:25:37.832 the family members that will identify changes in their family 0:25:37.832 --> 0:25:41.032 member when they get back home. So it becomes a 0:25:41.032 --> 0:25:44.712 really important part of families being able to have a 0:25:44.713 --> 0:25:46.953 bit of an idea of what to look for and 0:25:47.193 --> 0:25:50.352 if they're noticing changes. And that could be something like 0:25:50.552 --> 0:25:53.713 one of the examples we often often use when we 0:25:53.713 --> 0:25:56.633 talk about brain injury is the example of, say, an 0:25:56.632 --> 0:26:00.653 older person that has dementia. Yes. Because it's something most 0:26:00.653 --> 0:26:03.572 of us can really relate to easily. Having someone in 0:26:03.572 --> 0:26:06.572 our own families and what you what we all notice 0:26:06.612 --> 0:26:12.013 in someone with dementia often is that maybe their personality changes. 0:26:12.253 --> 0:26:14.773 You know, the way they talk, the way they engage 0:26:14.773 --> 0:26:16.653 might be a little bit different to what it used 0:26:16.653 --> 0:26:22.013 to be. Maybe they might start recognizing who you are visually, 0:26:22.013 --> 0:26:25.373 but they can't remember your name. You know, maybe they're 0:26:25.372 --> 0:26:28.893 forgetting to do little bits and pieces of things that 0:26:28.933 --> 0:26:32.413 they've been able to do for 50 years prior to that, 0:26:32.693 --> 0:26:37.093 you know, or sometimes we, we see quite often, maybe 0:26:37.092 --> 0:26:39.733 the person is, is getting a lot angrier than they 0:26:39.733 --> 0:26:42.092 used to. You know, they find it a little bit 0:26:42.092 --> 0:26:45.812 harder to manage their emotions. You know, all of these 0:26:45.812 --> 0:26:49.092 things that we see in things like dementia is what 0:26:49.132 --> 0:26:52.652 brain injury does. Um, depending on the part of the 0:26:52.653 --> 0:26:55.892 brain that that's impacted, of course, but it's a really 0:26:55.892 --> 0:26:59.273 good example for, for people to think about And the 0:26:59.273 --> 0:27:02.753 reason I use that is going to your question, that 0:27:02.753 --> 0:27:05.872 often the only people that can really see those changes 0:27:05.872 --> 0:27:09.392 is family. Um, so we can go off to, um, 0:27:09.433 --> 0:27:12.753 a specialist or a medical provider to, uh, you know, 0:27:12.792 --> 0:27:16.433 have scans and assessments to try to assess certain things. 0:27:16.433 --> 0:27:20.753 But often, um, knowing the change, um, is something that 0:27:20.753 --> 0:27:22.793 really comes from families. 0:27:22.792 --> 0:27:26.993 Because often people might be confused for being intoxicated or 0:27:26.993 --> 0:27:30.153 mentally ill or, or having dementia even. 0:27:30.312 --> 0:27:34.633 Yeah, absolutely. And, and things like dementia is a great example. 0:27:34.632 --> 0:27:37.832 The impact, you know, the long term impact of dementia. 0:27:37.872 --> 0:27:41.552 It is a brain injury. It's that that's the impact. So, 0:27:41.913 --> 0:27:46.513 you know, often we hear quite frequently from people that are, um, 0:27:46.632 --> 0:27:50.312 perhaps been engaged with the police and where they've been 0:27:50.352 --> 0:27:53.072 perhaps pulled up by the police with an assumption that 0:27:53.072 --> 0:27:56.712 they're intoxicated, where they actually have a diagnosed brain injury 0:27:56.713 --> 0:28:00.212 and in their speech is impacted or their gait, which 0:28:00.213 --> 0:28:02.773 is something that's quite frequent as well. The way that 0:28:02.773 --> 0:28:06.213 they walk might be impacted. So people make this whole 0:28:06.253 --> 0:28:11.092 range of assumptions because they can't see physical signs of 0:28:11.092 --> 0:28:16.052 a disability. So they make assumptions about what explains someone's behavior. 0:28:16.253 --> 0:28:19.013 And that can be really very problematic for someone with 0:28:19.013 --> 0:28:22.332 a brain injury, where sometimes it's very hard for them 0:28:22.332 --> 0:28:26.572 to express, or sometimes they might not even perceive that 0:28:26.572 --> 0:28:29.172 there is a problem, you know? So it can be 0:28:29.173 --> 0:28:33.292 really difficult for people to, to understand that. And I 0:28:33.292 --> 0:28:35.693 think the other thing, which is, you know, a really 0:28:35.693 --> 0:28:39.413 critical part of brain injury is that someone understanding that 0:28:39.413 --> 0:28:41.813 they have a brain injury and what part of their 0:28:41.813 --> 0:28:46.933 brain is impacted is really important to then understand how 0:28:46.933 --> 0:28:50.733 we can help them or how we can support them better. 0:28:50.892 --> 0:28:55.093 Because if, for example, as you mentioned, someone has an 0:28:55.273 --> 0:28:58.833 injury to the front part of their brain, the frontal lobe. 0:28:59.353 --> 0:29:02.073 That's the part of the brain that that does a 0:29:02.073 --> 0:29:04.793 lot of things. But one thing it does is it 0:29:04.833 --> 0:29:09.393 helps control or regulate, um, how we manage our emotions. 0:29:09.633 --> 0:29:12.753 So often someone that has injury to the front of 0:29:12.793 --> 0:29:17.433 their brain might really struggle, um, being able to manage how, 0:29:17.473 --> 0:29:20.672 how they're responding to things emotionally, they might get upset 0:29:20.673 --> 0:29:25.152 really quickly or get really abrupt and those types of things. 0:29:25.153 --> 0:29:28.593 And other people might perceive that as someone being rude 0:29:28.593 --> 0:29:33.593 or unhappy. Um, whereas in reality that part of the 0:29:33.593 --> 0:29:36.473 brain that function in the brain is impaired because of 0:29:36.473 --> 0:29:39.353 the injury. And so you can see how that can 0:29:39.353 --> 0:29:43.273 really impact, for example, you know, maybe, um, a lot 0:29:43.273 --> 0:29:46.513 of people that that might have a frontal lobe injury 0:29:46.513 --> 0:29:49.793 where those types of impacts are evident. Maybe it's harder 0:29:49.793 --> 0:29:52.833 to maintain their relationships. Yes. Because people might get a 0:29:52.833 --> 0:29:54.732 bit upset with them and think, I don't want to 0:29:54.733 --> 0:29:57.172 be around you because you're always angry with me or, 0:29:57.493 --> 0:29:59.892 you know, you're not listening to me or those types 0:29:59.892 --> 0:30:03.452 of things without recognizing that that's, that's how the brain 0:30:03.453 --> 0:30:06.653 is working at that time. Um, and it doesn't mean 0:30:06.653 --> 0:30:09.492 that people can't find ways to manage that, but they 0:30:09.493 --> 0:30:13.133 need support from those around them to understand them and 0:30:13.133 --> 0:30:13.652 help them. 0:30:13.693 --> 0:30:16.373 I wanted to ask you, um, on a practical note 0:30:16.373 --> 0:30:20.973 in regards to identifying themselves of having a brain injury, 0:30:21.013 --> 0:30:23.933 an Abi or whatever it might be. Do people have 0:30:23.933 --> 0:30:26.492 some kind of identifier? Do they have a card? I 0:30:26.493 --> 0:30:29.533 know people, some people with autism or learning disability and 0:30:29.533 --> 0:30:31.412 the like might have a card that they can carry. 0:30:31.453 --> 0:30:34.133 So for instance, if there is interaction with the police 0:30:34.133 --> 0:30:37.013 or ambulance or whatever, they pull out this card and say, 0:30:37.013 --> 0:30:39.293 I'm not intoxicated. I look, I have a brain injury 0:30:39.293 --> 0:30:43.533 or in the case of invisible disabilities, have sunflower. Are 0:30:43.533 --> 0:30:46.013 there anything like that for people with an acquired brain injury? 0:30:46.053 --> 0:30:49.453 So there's some work that a Brain Injury Association of 0:30:49.453 --> 0:30:53.193 Tasmania has done in that area. It's not something that 0:30:53.193 --> 0:30:57.672 synapse generally does only because I guess we work with 0:30:57.673 --> 0:31:01.273 so many people. Um, and it's increasingly a part of 0:31:01.273 --> 0:31:05.953 our focus, people that don't know that the reason things 0:31:05.953 --> 0:31:09.073 are happening for them is a brain injury. Um, and, 0:31:09.073 --> 0:31:14.353 and so, so often it's really about services, understanding and 0:31:14.353 --> 0:31:18.153 organizations and government and police and all sorts of all 0:31:18.153 --> 0:31:21.793 parts of community understanding the impact of brain injury and 0:31:21.793 --> 0:31:25.473 what to look for because so often, uh, people won't 0:31:25.473 --> 0:31:27.073 have that diagnosis. 0:31:27.113 --> 0:31:28.793 We have to finish now. Adam, is there anything you'd 0:31:28.793 --> 0:31:30.952 like to leave us with before we have to say goodbye? 0:31:30.993 --> 0:31:33.753 I think just thank you for the opportunity to have 0:31:33.753 --> 0:31:36.233 a talk about brain injury. I think in the work 0:31:36.233 --> 0:31:40.073 we do, there's nothing more important than building awareness about 0:31:40.073 --> 0:31:43.993 what brain injury is and how it impacts people's lives. So, um, 0:31:43.993 --> 0:31:45.793 it's a great opportunity to share that. 0:31:45.793 --> 0:31:49.473 Thank you very much, Adam from synapse, Australia. And I 0:31:49.473 --> 0:31:52.893 really appreciate your time and your great input and insights 0:31:52.892 --> 0:31:56.133 into brain injury and brain injury awareness. Thanks for joining 0:31:56.133 --> 0:31:57.573 us here on Vision Australia Radio. 0:31:57.573 --> 0:31:58.133 Thank you. 0:31:58.333 --> 0:32:00.293 That's all we have time for this week, folks. Thanks 0:32:00.293 --> 0:32:02.053 for joining us once again and look forward to speaking 0:32:02.093 --> 0:32:04.013 to you next time. And bye for now. Cheers. 0:32:16.253 --> 0:32:18.853 That concludes in Plain sight for this week. Join us 0:32:18.853 --> 0:32:21.973 at the same time next week on Vision Australia Radio. 0:32:22.333 --> 0:32:27.172 VA Radio Digital and online at VA radio.org. You can 0:32:27.173 --> 0:32:30.652 also listen on demand by searching for In Plain Sight 0:32:30.653 --> 0:32:34.493 by Vision Australia Radio. Wherever you get your podcasts, or 0:32:34.493 --> 0:32:37.813 ask your smart device to play in Plain Sight by 0:32:37.813 --> 0:32:40.213 Vision Australia Radio. Thanks for listening. 0:32:40.453 --> 0:32:41.093 Thank you.