Fostering recovery & resilience: peer-support for adults with acquired brain injury residing in transitional living

Co-leads: Dr Lauren Kosta, Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Work, Melbourne School of Health Sciences

Dr Marlena Klaic, Senior Research Fellow Implementation Science, Melbourne School of Health Sciences

Dr Jessica Riordan, Research Fellow and Co-Lead of the University of Melbourne Neurodiversity Project, Faculty of Education

People with acquired brain injuries (ABI) are at a high risk of experiencing social isolation and disconnection from established networks. When people first acquire a brain injury, the focus is often on physical rehabilitation and social and recreational skills. However, it can be particularly challenging to adapt to the experience of living with a brain injury, and people can often have questions including those around what their future might look like. Having access to a peer support mentor would be an opportunity to reconnect socially, and making a connection with someone who has a shared experience.

The research team has partnered with Brain Injury Matters to co-design a program framework and an accessible training strategy to help train peer support volunteers with lived experience of ABI to provide social support to residents in transitional living centres.