ARCsupport
ARCsupport (Accommodation, Respite and Community support) is about creating futures with hope for families affected by Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
ARCsupport is an initiative led by Karingal in the Barwon area of Victoria. Its implementation work began in July 2006 following initial research work that culminated in the launch of the report “In a moment, everything can change …” The report highlighted the needs of families who have a young adult member who has an ABI. The report identified 10 goals that were subsequently grouped into three key areas of development – Accommodation, Respite and Community support.
ARCsupport is committed to the development of:
• Permanent accommodation options in the Barwon Area
• A variety of family centred, flexible respite options that respond to the needs of individual families
• A range of community supports that enable and empower individuals and families.
Community support - to walk beside
The community support arm of ARCsupport is committed to developing services and options that walk beside families as they travel their journey of supporting a member with ABI. These services and options will be developed in direct response to needs identified by families. This will include:
- The development of formal and informal family support networks (see BRAINS)
- The development of a community based Information, Advocacy and Support Service that walks beside families following discharge from health services
- The development and implementation of community and school education programs
Brain Injury Awareness
Did you know that:
- 2.2% of the Australian population has an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)? That is more than slightly one in 50 people or 432,700 Australians.
- Brain injuries do not just affect the individual, they affect the whole family. So, approximately 1.7 million Australians have had their lives changed by brain injury.
- Did you know that brain injury does not discriminate? Anyone at anytime can suffer a brain injury. Road traffic accidents, brain aneurysm, stroke, assault, attempted suicide, infections and drug and alcohol misuse are among some of the causes of ABI.