Brain Injury Awareness Week

19 – 25 August 2024

Brain Injury Awareness Week (BIAW) is held annually to raise awareness of brain injury and its impact on everyday Australian’s – this year the week is held between 19-25 of August. During this week, Synapse will be telling the stories of the 1 in 45 Australians living with a brain injury.

This is a time to reflect on how each of us can support and advocate for people living with a brain injury and continue to grow awareness and understanding throughout Australia.

How do we improve the lives of the average Australian living with a brain injury who is struggling with connection, relationships, and/or societal systems?

The last few years have seen challenges that face the wider community, a “rental crisis” and a “cost of living crisis”, which makes us more determined to ensure each person living with brain injury and their families are not forgotten by the system or left behind by their communities.

Our 2024 theme “What’s your connection?”

This year’s Brain Injury Awareness Week (BIAW) theme is ‘What’s your connection?’

As we know, the brain is made up of many synapses and neuropathways which connect how we think, feel, behave and act, move, smell, see, taste, understand and so much more. When one of these connections experiences an injury, many things can change in a person’s life. As no two brain injuries are the same, it is important to understand the unique impact an injury can have on a person’s life.

We know that 1 in 45 Australians have a brain injury, but many Australians are unaware or undiagnosed for brain injury. This year we ask, how is brain injury showing up and connecting Aussie’s with one another? This could be with family, with friends, work colleagues, strangers on the bus, train or when ordering your daily cuppa.

Brain injury is a disability that can affect anyone…a 19-year-old man who has sustained an injury through an accident. Or a 65-year-old woman who has a brain injury caused by a stroke or Dementia. Not much else might connect these two people, but a brain injury can.

As we dive deeper into the connections we have with each other, we need to acknowledge people living with brain injury can have limited access to government programs and systems with less understanding from others when carrying out everyday activities. When these limits are placed on someone, it can lead to pathways involving the justice system, incarceration, homelessness, alcohol and drugs and so much more. This is why this Brain Injury Awareness Week we ask, ‘what’s your connection?’

#BIAW24 #WhatsTheConnection

How to get involved

Share your journey – Every brain injury is different, and we would love to hear your story about living with brain injury.
Get connecting on social media – Help raise awareness of brain injury. Get people taking about brain injury by posting our resources on social media with the hashtags #BIAW24 #WhatsTheConnection
Donate – Help us support those living with brain injury across Australia.
Attend an event – Keep an eye out for more information on upcoming events.

Shareable resources

Below are resources that you can download or print to share with your network. In doing so you’ll be helping raise important awareness of brain injury and it’s impact. Synapse deeply appreciates all your support this Brain Injury Awareness Week!

Are you impacted by brain injury? We’d love to help you share your journey. To raise awareness of brain injury and its impact, Synapse works with individuals in our community to share their story.