adminA busy month indeed for Altered Abilities both in a volunteer and working capacity. Earlier this year when I had visited Illawarra Brain Injury Service, I had been given a group to connect with by the name of Synapse. I reached out the Family Liaison Officer as he ran the group in Wollongong and was lucky to reach out when I did as a meeting was taking place in a few days’ time. A great group where people with any type of brain injury can come to a space where each person is listened to, and their opinion valued by other people experiencing similar barriers. Only a couple of days past and it was time for another Living Books at Figtree High School. Everyone was very engaged with their respective groups and the staff from both the High School and the Living Books Program. All the feedback was positive and reminded me why I had agreed to participate in such a great initiative, if I can pass on knowledge which I wish had of been shared when I was at school…. Who knows the path things may have taken.
It came time to record a video of my answers to the questions that had arisen from my Return-to-Work Blog with the Young Stroke Project earlier in the year. The questions came across as genuine concerns people had when the prospect of returning to work came back on the cards and I did my best to provide thoughtful answers that covered a broad perspective of views. At the monthly Synapse meeting, I was informed there were online group chats a few days of week and I asked for the link to join in. I made a point of attending a couple of times for a week in a row to introduce myself and hear all the various stories and challenges the online group were facing or had dealt with. There are such a broad range of circumstances that can lead to a brain injury and the coping skills each had developed over the years were nothing short of inspirational.