Brain Injury SA

💚 Today is a reminder that mental health is part of our overall wellbeing — and that looking after ourselves matters.

For people living with brain injury, changes to mood, confidence, relationships, routines and independence can sometimes be part of the journey. Having the right support, connection and understanding can make a meaningful difference.

This World Mental Health Day, let’s make space for conversations about mental health, check in with the people around us, and remember that it’s okay to ask for support when you need it.

Together, we thrive! 💚

🌟 Know a Brain Injury SA staff member who goes above and beyond? Nominate them for our 2026 Customer Service Award!

From our friendly admin staff to our dedicated advocates and therapists, this award recognises the people who make a difference through the care, support and service they provide to our community.

✨ Help us celebrate their outstanding service and let them know their efforts are appreciated! Submit your nomination today → https://ow.ly/2IhK50ZVI0s

Be sure to get your nomination in soon! Nominations close Friday 13 November.

🧠 Brain Injury SA are excited to be exhibiting again at the Disability, Ageing and Lifestyle (DAL) Expo, hosted by Catalyst Foundation, next Friday and Saturday at the Adelaide Showgrounds!

Come along and speak to us about how we can support those living with acquired brain injury, as well as the supports we offer for families, carers and support workers.

📅 When: Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October
🕦 Time: 10am to 3pm
📍 Where: Adelaide Showgrounds – Jubilee Pavilion

For more information about the DAL Expo 2026 Adelaide, visit → https://ow.ly/lfz850ZSYpj

💚 Caring for someone with ABI? Support for your wellbeing is important too.

Our next Be Well Plan for Carers starts at the end of this month – register your interest in participating!

Our Be Well Plan is designed specifically for carers of someone with ABI, helping them better understand and support their own mental wellbeing.

Each session explores a different focus area, including:
🧠 Building a wellbeing foundation
🧠 Understanding your wellbeing profile
🧠 Exploring personal resources and challenges
🧠 Managing stress and building resilience
🧠 Creating and living your Be Well Plan
🧠 Using the Be Well Tracker and digital tools

Join us for our next Be Well Plan in October:
📅 Dates: Tuesdays, for 6 weeks, commencing Tuesday 27 October (final session Tuesday 1 December)
🕦 Time: 3.30pm to 5.30pm
📍Where: BISA City Hub – 70 Light Square, Adelaide
🎟️ Cost: FREE to attend. Registration is essential → https://ow.ly/VQxa50ZTnNB

📣 Our BISA Hubs will be closed tomorrow, Monday 5 October, for the public holiday.

We will be open as usual on Tuesday 6 October.

📣 Calling all carers! Join us for our upcoming Carers Information Session:

🧠 Behaviours of Concern after ABI

Acquired brain injury doesn't just change what a person can do — it can change how they act. Research shows that over half of people with severe brain injury display behaviours of concern, such as aggression, irritability, apathy, or socially inappropriate behaviour, and for many these become a long-term, ongoing part of daily life rather than something that simply fades with time.

These changes can be confusing and exhausting for the people who love and support them. Around 7 in 10 family carers report significant caregiver burden, often alongside emotional stress, disrupted routines, and social isolation — made harder when carers don't fully understand why these behaviours happen or how to respond.

This session provides a general overview of behaviours of concern after ABI and aims to help you make sense of what you're seeing, why it happens, and practical ways to respond — so you feel more confident, less alone, and better equipped to support your family member. It will also provide information on how to get professional support if needed.

📆 When: Thursday 15 October, 10am to 12pm
📍 Where: BISA South Hub – 15 Alexander Kelly Drive, Noarlunga Centre
🎟️ Registration is essential → https://ow.ly/MbEG50ZTnyT

📬 The October edition of BISA News is here!

This month we've got programs coming up for carers, training opportunities for support workers, and a chance to nominate a BISA staff member for a customer service award.

Whether you're a person living with brain injury, a family member, carer, supporter, or service provider, there's something in here for you.

📖 Read the October edition → https://ow.ly/552l50ZTmGR
📩 Not subscribed yet? Sign up free → https://ow.ly/U4as50ZTmGP

🧠 Do you have a brain injury and want to connect with someone who understands?

Our Peer Support Program connects people living with brain injury with others who have their own lived experience — providing a space to share, listen, connect and feel understood.

You don’t have to navigate life after brain injury alone.

🤝 Our Peer Support Program is:
➡️ Free and open to all adults (18+) who have sustained a brain injury
➡️ 5 sessions over 5 weeks, at a time that suits you
➡️ Available face-to-face at any BISA hub, or via phone or video call

If you’re ready to connect with someone who understands, we’d love to hear from you!

Register your interest today and access supportive, understanding connection through our Peer Support Program → https://ow.ly/fgRZ50ZRiVQ

🧠💻 Last week our Occupational Therapy team visited Inhousing & Stretchy Tech to explore some of the innovative technology available to support accessibility and participation.

Will from Stretchy Tech took the team through a range of accessible gaming and computer-use options, as well as their tech hub, where clients can trial smart home products such as accessible door handles, voice-activated technology and more.

Stretchy Tech provides advice and information to support therapists, while also working alongside clients to explore and use technology that can help meet their individual needs. Their team includes three Occupational Therapists and two technicians who can provide support throughout this process.

✨ A big thank you to Will and the Stretchy Tech team for having us! It was fantastic to see the possibilities that accessible technology can offer and learn more about the work being done to support people living with acquired brain injury and disability.

✨ We love sharing community initiatives ✨

🧠 There's still a chance to take part in the Body Image after Injury study being conducted by Adelaide University.

Participating in this research will help identify better ways to assess and support people during recovery and rehabilitation.

Who can participate? You may be eligible if you:
➡️ Are aged 18 years or older
➡️ Have lived experience of traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury
➡️ Sustained your injury at least 4 weeks ago
➡️ Are living with residual physical impairment
➡️ Are able to read and answer questions in English

What is involved?
➡️ Participants will complete a short anonymous online survey (approximately takes 10 minutes to complete)
➡️ Participants will be asked to share their experience of body image and body awareness after injury and/ or surgery

For more information and to participate in the study, visit → https://ow.ly/EiWB50ZO7KS