Life After ABI

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) often leads to many changes for  the individual, their family and friends. Many people who have experienced ABI report feeling as though they have become a different person since their injury, and this difference can be magnified by the reflected perceptions of the people around them.

Physical, cognitive, behavioural and / or emotional changes can also lead to changes in identity, roles, relationships, the ability to manage personal and household tasks, and in community access and  participation. Managing these changes is not an easy process. It takes time, support from others and can mean learning new ways of doing many everyday activities, or even accepting  assistance with a task that may have previously been completed independently.

Recovery from ABI may be thought of as a journey towards a new self, a shift in personal identity which may involve: adaptation to changed abilities; re-definition of relationships; finding new roles and activities in which to participate; and exploration of new ways to make life enjoyable and fulfilling.

Each journey of recovery is unique. At ABIOS we work with clients and their families on Goals Setting to help plan a way forward after ABI. Goals may be about personal changes, developing the strategies required to function as independently as possible within the home environment, or the wider community.

 

man shopping with his young child

The following ABIOS information factsheets and resources have been developed specifically to provide practical information and ideas for people with an acquired brain injury and their families to assist them with the process of moving forward:

a young lady

 

lady carrying a basket of clean washing

 

busy people in a crowded busy street

Personal
Changes

 

Participation in the
Home Environment

 

Participation in the
Community



For eligibility for an ABIOS service please read Direct Client Services.
To arrange training from ABIOS please read ABI Education.



Contact ABIOS
abios@health.qld.gov.au



Last updated: 12 July 2022