EquipT To Thrive

19/08/2026

Brain injuries are an (or series of) events that cause trauma to the brain.

🧠 Brain injuries affect typical brain function can affect how a person thinks, moves, feels, behaves and interacts with the people and the world around them.

Brain injuries are usually defined as one of two types:
🤕Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) - are usually caused by an external mechanical/ physical force that physically impacts the anatomy within the brain
🚑 Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI) - are caused by internal medical issues such as a stroke, lack of oxygen, aneurysm, brain infection, tumour, poisoning and anything that can affect the way the brain functions.

The event that causes the TBI or ABI is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical attention to attempt reducing the magnitude in which the brain may become impacted.

07/08/2026

Our team are an outstanding bunch of humans! They have taken time out of their busy lives to volunteer their time to refresh our clinic.

It is a work in progress, but we hope to share some exciting photos soon.

27/07/2026

🔊Just a reminder that today at 1:30pm AEST there will be a critical alert sent to all compatible mobile devices for those in Australia.

📲 This may include phones, tablets and smart watches that have connectivity.

🎧 Your device will vibrate and play a siren like warning for about 10 seconds. An AusAlert message will appear on device screens.

🦻 For those with hearing aids, please be mindful that this may cause significant noise so if it is safe to remove then at this time, this is advised.

❌ For those who do not wish to experience the sensations or potential triggers of this alarm, you can place your device on airplane mode or turn off the device and leave it off for at least 1 hour.

For more information on this test, please visit http://www.ausalert.gov.au/alerts-explained/national-test

AusAlert national test: a Critical Alert will be sent to compatible devices at around 2 pm AEST today, Monday 27 July 2026

10/06/2026

A big acknowledgement to Kiaana and the advocacy and recognition that her story brings to spreading information and awareness about Batten's Disease.

Also known as 'childhood dementia', this genetic condition poses many challenges for individuals and families and spreading awareness and fostering connection go a long way to supporting others that live with Battens Disease and those who are not aware of what it is.

Kiaana has such an infectious personality that brings goosebumps to those around her; with her gorgeous smiles, her dancing skills and singing with those she loves. Kiaana continues to smash many expected trends with the progression of her condition and those moments where she is able to enjoy living life her way, is priceless.

Today is International Batten Disease Awareness Day.

This is Kiaana.

She is 31 years old. She loves music, beach drives, good coffee, laughter, adventures, and spending time with the people she loves.

She also lives with CLN3 Batten disease, a rare, terminal neurodegenerative condition that gradually steals vision, mobility, communication, memory, and independence.

When Kiaana was diagnosed, there were no treatments and very little hope.

Today, thanks to families, researchers, clinicians, advocates, and supporters around the world, progress is happening. Research is advancing. Clinical trials are underway. Hope is growing.

But there is still no cure.

This year we're supporting the Forget Me Knot campaign.

🧡 TIE a teal and orange knot.
🩵 SHARE a photo and help spread awareness.
🧡 DONATE if you're able to support research and advocacy.

Every conversation helps.
Every share reaches someone new.
Every donation helps move us closer to a future where no family has to hear the words, "There is nothing we can do."

For Kiaana.
For every family living with Batten disease.
For the future.

Batten Disease Support & Research Association Australia
Kiaana Brown

22/05/2026

Our knowledgeable team members Lisa and Dave had an interesting week supporting some of Australia’s most skilled ophthalmologists at the GenEYE conference with their physiotherapy skills.

08/04/2026

At our latest staff meeting we took some time to learn about how we can protect ourselves from compassion fatigue and some strategies to prioritise wellness and self compassion.

Part of this time we wanted to get in some belly laughs and team dynamics so we had to build the tallest tower with two blindfolded workers, lead by one leader.

Some real unique designs!

03/04/2026

Neurodiversity is not linear, neurodiversity presents uniquely to every individual.

Break the stigma ❤️ embrace every individual

02/04/2026

Autism, we see this neuro developmental condition as a super power!

The world as an autistic person can seem very rigid, it may feel very overwhelming and may feel isolating when the person doesn’t “fit in”.

The world is largely architectured by neurotypical individuals and sometimes it can take a bit of innovation to pave your own way.

People who have autism may see the world in diverse ways and have some amazing ways of communicating the world around them that might be rainbow 🌈 into black and white ❤️

Let’s celebrate neurodiversity, and brains from all walks of life ❤️

23/03/2026

Last week we explained how an individual may acquire a brain injury (ABI).

Following on from that post, we would like to share a journey through the lens of an Occupational Therapist that may support an individual with an ABI.

An Occupational Therapist may help to explore the scope of an individuals’;

🤔 cognitive capacity
🛒 functional daily living skills
🏠environmental needs
👷‍♂️ capacity to work
🤗 sensory mapping
🧑‍🦽‍➡️physical capacity for functional tasks
❤️ emotional regulation / communication
…. And many more facets

It is rare than an Occupational Therapist works in isolation, often they may work in collaboration with physiotherapists, speech therapists and other allied health professionals to thorough assess an individual’s functional capacity and articulate strategies to rein back in functional independence 😊

19/03/2026

Following on from our post earlier in the week, we would like to share some insight into ‘Acquired Brain Injury’. (ABI).

🧠 what is an ABI? An acquired brain injury is exactly that, acquired. This means that an event has occurred that has caused the brain to become injured.

🧐 how does one acquire a brain injury? There are many ways the brain can become injured, medical events such as as strokes or heart attacks where the brain is starved of oxygen, birth trauma, physical trauma(car accidents / falls), infection, tumours/ surgical complications…. Just to name a few.

…. In fact Alzheimers Disease is the most prevalent avenue of injuring one’s brain.

🤕 what about rehabilitation? Rehabilitation for some types of ABI is possible. It depends on the cause (acute event or ongoing trauma), the impact/severity, the location and a number of factors that are unique to the individual.
👉🏼 rehabilitation is aimed at restoring function. And this may not necessarily be ‘pre-injury function’, it may be creating unique ways to achieve the same outcome within a different functional capacity.

In our next post, we will explore more in depth about establishing one’s functional capacity and provide insight into how this journey can look for individuals with an ABI