Mid-Western Brain Injury Program
Bathurst

 
*    Mid Western Brain Injury  
        Rehabilitation Program       
        Eric Sargeant Drive
        BATHURST  NSW  2795       
( (02) 6339 5100
 :  denise.young@gwahs.health.nsw.gov.au 
 

                                                                                     Bathurst Base Hospital

                                                                                                             

Information About the Social Work Position

SERVICE SETTING

·             Mid Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program is one of two brain injury rehabilitation programs operating within the Greater 
        Western Area Health Service of NSW.  The area covered by Greater Western Area Health Service is 55% of NSW (an area larger
        than Germany).  The second Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program is based at Lourdes Hospital in Dubbo.  It services the part of
        Greater Western Area Health Service formerly covered by Macquarie Area Health Service.  A Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program
        does not cover the most remote parts of the area at present.
 
·               Mid Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program covers the local government areas of Greater Lithgow (not part of  
         Greater Western Area Health Service), Oberon, Bathurst Region, Blayney, Cabonne, Orange, Cowra, Parkes, Forbes,        
         Lachlan, Weddin and those parts of Mudgee Region that were formerly in Rylstone Shire. 
 
·               The population younger than 65 years of age in the area serviced by Mid Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program was
          projected to be approximately 168,000 in 2006.
 
          

                       

                                        The Unit
·               Mid Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program services are provided on an outreach basis to people living in all the above local
         government areas as required.
 
·               Mid Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program offices are located in Bathurst (the second largest town in the area     
         serviced).  The offices are co-located with other services of Bathurst Health Service – the rehabilitation ward, the
         physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy departments, the Mid Western continence adviser and
         community health centre.  This complex is four kilometres from the main campus of Bathurst Base Hospital.
 

·              The house used for transitional living programs is located in a residential area of Bathurst, four kilometres away from the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program offices.
 
·               Mid Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program will be moving into new offices in 2008 in the redeveloped complex
          for Bathurst Health Service, which will see all Bathurst health services on one campus (excluding transitional living unit).
 
·               Mid Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program has a full time equivalent (FTE) staff establishment of 8.2,
         comprising:- program manager, social worker, senior occupational therapist, senior psychologist, speech pathologist,
         occupational therapist (each of these positions has the role of rehabilitation co-ordinator as well as their discipline or
         management responsibilities), secretary, paediatric rehabilitation co-ordinator (0.5 FTE), rehabilitation assistant (0.736
         FTE casual pool).  The services of a rehabilitation specialist are purchased for approximately 1.5 days a fortnight and
         those of a neuropsychologist for approximately one day a month.  Physiotherapy is provided through generic health
         services across the region.
 
·              Clients of Mid Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program – generally 105 clients each year (primary aged children
         and adults of working age).  Traumatic brain injury and people with sudden onset acquired brain injury with similar
         effects to traumatic brain injury.

 

          2004 – 2005

Number of adult clients

99

Number of paediatric clients

13

Episodes of care during 2004-2005

125 (adults – 112; paediatric – 13)

Age of Clients

 

0-16 years

11%

17-34 years

37%

35-54 years

37%

55-70 years

15%

Male clients

64%

Cause due to road trauma

50%

Cause due to other trauma

15%

Cause due to non-traumatic means

34%

Compensible

 

Adults

22%

Children

54%

Non-Compensible

 

Adults

78%

Children

46%


SERVICES PROVIDED BY MID WESTERN BRAIN INJURY REHABILITATION PROGRAM  

·              Case management model is used – each adult rehabilitation 
         co-ordinator takes responsibility for a geographic area; 
         the paediatric co-ordinator works with children across the 
         region.

·              Community rehabilitation programs.  

·              Development of a management plan based on identified
         needs (involving client, significant others and friends, schools, 
         community services, generalist health services, 
         vocational rehabilitation services, accommodation support
         services, specialist therapy intervention – all as required).      
 
·              Transitional living programs in client’s own home or in a
         house in a residential part of Bathurst.
 		        Bathurst Court House
·              Some specialist therapy and co-ordination of rehabilitation programs for people with acquired brain injury who
         spend a period as inpatients of the Rehabilitation Unit of Bathurst Base Hospital.
 

·             Specialist discipline-specific intervention as identified goals require.
 
·             Education about brain injury to clients, families, service
         providers, etc.
 

·         Assistance to clients to understand and adjust to any residual disability.
 

·             Assistance to family members of clients – education, support and help to adjust to changes associated with
         residual disability of a person with an acquired brain injury.
 
·              Advice and consultancy to other service providers.
 
·              Ensuring appropriate services are established or enhanced to meet the needs of people with brain injuries.
 
·              For some assessments and services people need to travel to Bathurst or to the nearest large town to their
         homes, however, community rehabilitation programs are usually developed taking into consideration the
         resources in their local communities.

 

ROLE OF THE SOCIAL WORKER

·               Initial assessment of rehabilitation needs/co-ordination of rehabilitation programs for inpatients and  
          community-based clients, often assist in the co-ordination of transitional living programs.  Social worker
          has responsibility for the area encompassing Blayney/Cowra/Grenfell and shares management of clients
          in Bathurst and Orange with all other case managers/rehabilitation co-ordinators.  The social worker
          usually manages people in these towns that require social worker’s particular skills (adult clients only).
 
·               Social work assessments of clients, as required.
 
·               Some supportive counselling of adult clients with issues associated with anxiety, depression, loss
         and adjustment to disability (although the psychologist does cognitive behavioural therapy when
         required).
 
·               Some counselling of family members of adults around issues associated with adjusting to the
         disability/changes for their adult family member.
 
·               Establish/facilitate task oriented, educative or support groups for clients and/or significant others.
 
·               Be responsible for the facilitation of community development activities within the service.
 
·               Be responsible for the ongoing development of case management practice within the service.
 
·               Act as a consultant to other members of the Mid Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program team
         on welfare matters (income, housing, legal and guardianship) and community resources – maintain
         information about these.

 

CURRENT ISSUES FOR THE SOCIAL WORKER

·               The lack of accommodation support – particularly for people with high support needs.
 
·               Nursing homes are not a good option – both because of the intrinsic nature of nursing homes and
         because the ACATs are being discouraged from recommending nursing home placements for young
         people with disabilities.
 
·               The lack of other services to help people with disabilities arising from a brain injury achieve a worthwhile
          quality of life.
 
·               A complete lack of concern by funders that there is a huge level of unmet need in the community for
         services to support people with brain injuries.
 
·               The lack of employment opportunities for the more able people following a brain injury.
 
·               Difficulty helping friendship and social networks to survive a person’s lengthy hospitalisation or changed
         abilities or difficulty establishing new friendship or social networks.
 
·               Struggle to juggle the needs of both the client (the person with a brain injury) and the family members when
          both are very complex.
 
·               Addressing times of transition – child to adult; rehabilitation to community living.
 
·               Short-term difficulty juggling my own position with that of acting as program manager (even though this is
          being shared with another team member).
 
·               Trying to maintain enthusiasm and creativity after 13 years in the position.

 

RECENT INTERESTING PROJECTS

·               Running a small number of part-day, one-off activities workshops for people with brain injuries,
         e.g. grow a salad in a box, growing a cactus garden, painting and drawing, hand-built pottery. 
 
·               Involvement in the research project for developing a family outcome assessment tool. 
 
·               Involvement in submitting an application to the Greater Metropolitan Clinical Service Taskforce (GMCT)
         for funds to investigate appropriate models of service for remote areas.

Last modified: Monday, 25 September 2006 25th September 2006