Living with a brain injury: support that keeps the routine steady
“He looks fine, so people expect him to be fine.” A brain injury can change memory, energy and mood in ways other people can’t see. Kinship supports people with an acquired brain injury and their families across Western Sydney, with the same support worker every visit, so the day stays predictable.
- Registered NDIS provider (4-GWVHCEY)
- Same support worker every visit
- Dementia and behaviour support, and complex bowel care (high intensity)
Acquired brain injury in brief
An acquired brain injury (ABI) is damage to the brain that happens after birth. healthdirect lists the causes: a blow to the head (traumatic brain injury), stroke, lack of oxygen, infection, tumours, alcohol or drugs, and degenerative conditions. It isn’t the same as an intellectual disability or a mental illness.
NSW Health calls ABI a “hidden disability”. Someone can look exactly as they did before while living with changes to memory, concentration, fatigue, mood or behaviour. The biggest gains usually come in the first few months, but healthdirect says recovery can continue for years.
Figures: AIHW, Head injuries in Australia 2020–21.
General information only, not medical advice — talk to your GP or health team about your own situation. We say “person with a brain injury” and follow the person’s own words; Synapse also uses “brain injury survivor”.
Questions people search about brain injury
The questions families type in after the hospital stage ends. Short answers from healthdirect, NSW Health, Synapse and the NDIS.
What’s the difference between ABI and TBI?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one kind of ABI, caused by a blow or sudden movement of the head. ABI also covers stroke, lack of oxygen, infection and more.
Is a concussion a brain injury?
Yes. NSW Health says a mild TBI is also called a concussion. Most people recover within days to months, but some have ongoing problems.
Why is he so tired all the time?
Synapse describes fatigue after brain injury as common and highly disabling. Mental overload can bring it on, and it can last days. Spot early signs and rest straight away.
Why has her personality changed?
Brain injury can affect the parts of the brain that manage emotions and impulses. Synapse says all behaviour communicates a message, such as an unmet need, boredom or too much noise.
How do you cope with memory loss after a brain injury?
Diaries, phone alarms, a noticeboard, labelled cupboards and a fixed place for keys all help. Synapse says these tools don’t get in the way of natural recovery.
Can a brain injury cause incontinence?
Yes. It can affect the brain’s control of the bladder and bowel, and memory or mobility changes can add to it. It can be assessed and managed.
Everyday life with a brain injury: what helps
Practical ideas from Synapse and healthdirect. The rehab team knows what fits the person.
Schedule the rest
Do harder things at the best time of day, and build breaks in before fatigue hits.
Put it outside the head
Calendars, alarms, lists and one spot for keys and glasses.
Turn the volume down
Quiet, uncluttered spaces and one task at a time reduce overload.
Look for the message
Ask what the behaviour is saying: tired, bored, overwhelmed? Stay consistent. Violence is never OK; get support.
Same order, same faces
Predictable days and familiar people make everything take less effort.
Carers need care too
Ask for help, keep up friendships and sleep. Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) is free.
How the NDIS and other schemes can help
If you’re younger than 65 on the day you apply, you can apply to the NDIS. The NDIS looks at whether the impairment is likely to be permanent and how much it affects daily life, so evidence about memory, fatigue and behaviour matters as much as scans.
How the injury happened matters too. Severe injuries from a NSW motor accident may be covered by icare Lifetime Care, and workplace injuries by workers compensation. The NDIS says statutory schemes sit alongside your NDIS plan, but the NDIS won’t fund what the scheme already funds. Tell the NDIS about any claim.
Applying to the NDIS
Talk to your local NDIS partner or call 1800 800 110. Our free guide walks through the access request.
How to apply for the NDIS →icare Lifetime Care
For people severely injured in a NSW motor accident. The Lifetime Care line is 1300 738 586.
About Lifetime Care →Synapse
Information and referral for people with a brain injury and their families on 1800 673 074.
Visit Synapse →Steady, familiar support at home and out
From Colebee and Blacktown to Marsden Park, Schofields and Windsor. Predictable support from the same support worker every visit, at a pace that respects fatigue.
We understand the changes other people can’t see
After a brain injury, the hardest parts are often invisible: forgetting what was said an hour ago, running out of energy by mid-afternoon, feeling overwhelmed in a busy shop, getting frustrated faster than before. Other people may not notice, and that can be lonely.
Families often become the memory, the planner and the buffer all at once. Routine, a familiar face and calm, clear communication help a day hold together.
Registered, experienced and local
- Registered NDIS provider (4-GWVHCEY)
- In disability and aged care since 2017
- High intensity: medication management, complex bowel care, and dementia and behaviour support
- Registered to deliver SIL
- Same support worker every visit
- Hundreds of clients and families supported
Founded by Shazia Begum, who has spent more than 15 years alongside people living with disability. Based at 39 Victory Road, Colebee, and families get updates from us as standard.
Here’s how we can help
Daily living and personal care
Help with the routine of the day, done the same way each time so it takes less effort.
Daily living support →When needs are complex
Medication management, complex bowel care, and dementia and behaviour support are on our registered high intensity list.
High intensity support →Life skills and groups
Practising everyday skills, from cooking to the weekly shop, at a pace that respects fatigue.
Life skills and group activities →Community participation
Getting back to the gym, the footy or the shops, with someone who knows when to call it a day.
Community participation →Supported Independent Living
For people who need support at home day and night. We’re registered to deliver SIL; call us to talk about current availability.
Supported Independent Living →Private services
Anyone can book support privately while funding or a claim is sorted. For private nursing, send us an enquiry and we’ll talk it through; for other services, call us for a quote.
Private services →Continence changes after a brain injury can be assessed and managed
Start with your GP or rehab team. The National Continence Helpline (1800 33 00 66) is free. The NDIS may fund continence supports related to your disability.
Our sister business Equipit supplies continence products such as adult nappies, continence briefs and bed protection. Equipit is the product-supply arm of Kinship Uniting Services, an NDIS registered and CHSP approved provider since 2017.
Please note: Equipit is part of the same family of businesses as Kinship, and you’re free to buy continence products from any supplier you choose. Equipit is not an NDIS registered provider, so agency-managed NDIS funds can’t be spent with Equipit. If you’re self-managed or plan-managed, check with your plan manager first.
If you’ve become your son’s, daughter’s or partner’s memory and diary, you’re not alone in that. We keep families updated as standard, and respite with a familiar worker gives you real time off.
Respite care →Support coordinators, plan managers, case managers and insurers are welcome to call us about support at home during recovery. Tell us the goals and we’ll say plainly what we can offer.
Information for referrers →Come and talk to us
If you’d like us to help with this, call 0437 733 744 and we’ll talk it through. Tell us about the person and the goals first. We’ll tell you plainly whether and how we can help.
The free guide to living with a brain injury
Printable and plain-English, for the person with the injury and the family learning alongside them.
- ABI in plain English, including fatigue and behaviour changes
- Everyday tips for memory, overload, routine and continence
- The NDIS, icare and compensation pathways
- Questions for your GP and planner, and a printable checklist
Free, no sign-up. Print it, share it, take it to your next appointment.
Plain-English guides for the next step
Questions about brain injury support
Can you get the NDIS with a brain injury?
Possibly. You need to be younger than 65 on the day you apply, meet the residence rules, and show that the impairment is likely to be permanent and substantially affects daily life.
What if the brain injury came from a car accident?
In NSW, people severely injured in a motor accident may be covered by icare Lifetime Care. The NDIS says statutory schemes sit alongside an NDIS plan, but it won’t fund supports the scheme already provides.
Can a support worker help with behaviour changes?
Dementia and behaviour support is on our registered high intensity list. Your support worker follows the plan agreed with you, your family and your health team, and keeps the routine consistent.
Can insurers and case managers contact you?
Insurers, case managers and coordinators are welcome to call us about support at home during recovery. Whether a support can be funded is the insurer’s or scheme’s decision, so we talk it through with the case manager before anything is arranged.
Will my son have the same support worker each time?
Yes. You’ll have the same support worker every visit, which matters when memory and fatigue make new faces hard work.
Who can we call for brain injury advice?
Synapse on 1800 673 074 or Brain Injury Australia on 1800 272 461. For health advice at any hour, healthdirect is on 1800 022 222.
How do we get started with Kinship?
Call 0437 733 744, or send an enquiry through our website. We’ll ask about the person first: what a good day looks like and what’s getting harder. Then we’ll tell you plainly whether and how we can help. If there’s an NDIS plan, have it nearby. If there isn’t one yet, we can still talk it through.
Sources
Facts on this page come from these organisations. We checked them in October 2026; always go to the source for the latest.
- healthdirect — Acquired brain injury
- NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation — Acquired brain injury
- NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation — Injury, impairments and impacts
- AIHW — Head injuries in Australia 2020–21
- Brain Injury Australia
- Synapse — ABI: The Facts (PDF)
- Synapse — Memory
- Synapse — Traumatic brain injury
- Synapse — Understanding behaviour changes after brain injury
- NDIS — How to check your eligibility
- NDIS — What is a statutory scheme
- icare — Motor accident injuries
- Royal Children’s Hospital — Brain injury: bladder and bowel
- NDIS Our Guidelines — Continence supports (PDF)
- National Continence Helpline (continence.org.au)
General information only, not medical advice — talk to your GP or health team. Images are illustrative; to protect our clients’ privacy we never show real clients.
Let’s talk about what the days look like now
Call us and we’ll talk it through. Families, case managers and coordinators are all welcome to ring.
Registered NDIS provider 4-GWVHCEY. Operating in disability and aged care since 2017. See all conditions we support.