This section of My Technology Space provides information and resources to assist allied health professionals and assistive technology advisors to understand more about the person's current support needs following their brain injury.

A person who has acquired brain injury may use a range of supports to assist them to manage cognitive changes they experience within everyday activities.

Before considering assistive technology it is important to get to know the person and their goals, and the supports they currently have in place, including:

• Unpaid or informal supports
• Paid supports
• Cognitive aides and strategies
• Home modifications and equipment, including how familiar the person is with assistive technology, and the types of technology they currently use.

Considering unpaid or informal supports

This section of My Technology Space provides information and resources to assist allied health professionals and other assistive technology advisors to explore what unpaid or informal supports the person currently has in place following their brain injury, linked to their activity preferences.

Following brain injury, a person may have unpaid or informal support in place to assist with their everyday activities. Unpaid or informal support may include voluntary help provided to the person from family members, friends, neighbours and other people in the community.

It is useful to understand the role unpaid or informal supporters play in helping a person with their everyday activities. Understanding how this support is offered throughout a person’s week provides insights into the person’s habits and routines, including how these supports can help the person achieve the goals and activities they want and need to do. Understanding the current unpaid or informal support in place also enables allied health professionals and assistive technology advisors to think about potential opportunities to support the person with their future goals and aspirations, including by using different types of support.

Investigating paid supports

This section of My Technology Space provides information and resources to assist allied health professionals and other assistive technology advisors to explore what paid supports the person currently has in place following brain injury, linked to their activity preferences.

Following brain injury, a person may use paid support to help them with their everyday activities. Paid support may include help provided to the person from a support worker, allied health professional (such as an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, neuropsychologist, exercise physiologist, or speech pathologist), or an assistive technology advisor like a peer mentor or product supplier, and other professionals.

It is important to understand the role each paid support person offers in helping a person with their everyday activities. Understanding this provides valuable information about the person’s habits and routines, including how paid supporters help the person to achieve the goals and activities they want and need to do. Understanding the current paid support in place also enables allied health professionals and assistive technology advisors to think about opportunities to support the person with their future goals and aspirations, including by using a range of different types of support.

Understanding cognitive aides and strategies

This section of My Technology Space provides information and resources to assist allied health professionals and other assistive technology advisors to explore what cognitive aides and strategies the person currently has in place following brain injury, linked to their activity preferences.

A person may use cognitive aides and strategies to support their participation in everyday activities following acquired brain injury. It is important for allied health professionals or assistive technology advisors to familiarise themselves with the aides and strategies that a person currently uses. These may include non-technology solutions like paper-based checklists, whiteboards or calendars, or could include assistive technology solutions as cognitive aides and strategies. In particular, gaining an understanding about those cognitive aides and strategies that are working well for the person, as well as those that may not be working so well, is important. This information will provide valuable insights into the person’s current functioning and the support they use or need, as well as potential opportunities for future cognitive aides and strategies that align with their goals and preferences.

Exploring home modifications and equipment

This section of My Technology Space provides information and resources to assist allied health professionals and other assistive technology advisors to explore what home modifications and equipment - including assistive technology - that the person currently has in place following brain injury, linked to their activity preferences.

Following brain injury, a person may require the use of a range of equipment or home modifications to their home environment to enable them to participate in the things they want or need to do. Gaining information about the person’s home environment, including the modifications and equipment that they use, can help allied health professionals and assistive technology advisors to familiarise themselves with the person’s current home and any modifications that may assist them. Developing an understanding about those items or modifications that are working well for the person, and those that need to change, is important. Obtaining this information could highlight potential opportunities for future assistive technology that aligns with the person’s goals and needs.

You may like to read about Sam’s current supports - select here to read Sam’s story.

The next section of the website will assist to understand the future supports that could be useful in assisting the person with their goals. Select here to go to ‘The person’s future supports’.