Rehabilitation services in Murrumbidgee

The SWBIRS support children and adults who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and provide expertise in cognitive rehabilitation and community re-entry. 

SWBIRS is part of the NSW Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program (BIRP) - a network of specialist brain injury rehabilitation providers across metropolitan and regional NSW.

The service is based in Albury and Wagga Wagga. 

For more information or to request for a referral form contact SWBIRS at (02) 5943 4600 or MLHD-Albury-SWBIRS@health.nsw.gov.au 

Eligibility

Priority is given to be people who have a TBI. People with acquired brain injury who have cognitive rehabilitation needs will be considered. 

Referrals from a GP or rehabilitation specialist will be considered for people who:

• live in the Murrumbidgee LHD
• live in north-east Victoria (and are funded by insurance)
• are medically stable, and willing to participate in a rehabilitation program.
• have a primary diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI), aged between 3 and 65 years of age.

Cost

There is no cost for the SWBIRS' services. If and/or when there is insurance or compensation coverage, costs will be charged to the insurance provider.  

Services

• Adult Services - include community outreach and the transitional living unit programs. Assessments and therapy may occur at home or in the transitional living unit based on your situation and support needs.
• Community outreach rehabilitation - the team travels to communities across MLHD and provide assessment and therapy services at home, the workplace or in community settings. Working with you, the team develop strategies so you can complete daily activities you want to participate in. 
• Child and Adolescent Services - provides outreach and therapy services for children and young adults (adolescents) who have an acquired brain injury. Services are delivered wherever it is preferred, including home, school, parks and public places.  
• Transitional Living Unit (Tarkarri)- provides a higher level of support than outreach rehabilitation and may be a first step in returning home from hospital. Tarkarri is staffed with Living Skills Educator (LSE) 24-hours a day.
  
  Services are tailored to your situation and goals and can include daily therapy with a team of health professionals, overnight 4-day and/or one-day programs, where each person has a single room with shared dining, lounge and bathroom facilities.

  

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  Video transcript

  Tarkarri Transitional Living Unit - South West Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service

  Our Transitional Living Unit is called Tarkarri and Tarkarri is an Aboriginal word for 'creating futures for people'.

  My name's Jenny Goodfellow and I'm an occupational therapist and also the coordinator of our Transitional Living Unit in Lavington.

  So our program is all about working with people who have experienced either a traumatic or an acquired brain injury.

  They come to our program often from hospitals but sometimes they have been in the community for a while.

  They come to our program to work on the skills they need to get back to life so it's very much about working on independent living skills, working on the clients goals, what's important to them, looking at their life roles and responsibilities, and helping them learn the skills and strategies that they need to be able to navigate life and create the future that they would like.

  My name's Cooper Maher.

  I am 24 now.

  So, I had a car accident in November,

  I was at a mate's funeral, ended up somehow getting into some car, and flipped it and come out the front windscreen at about 120 odd k.

  But, yeah, it's just changed everything, especially being a parent, that was the hardest thing being a parent, it changes that, you have to learn how to deal with the kids again.

  Like, not so much dealing with them but just the noises and things like that.

  I've got a lot better but at the start it was pretty full on but, yeah life's changed a lot but getting better, getting a lot better.

  Tarkarri's helped me a lot after my car accident especially the girls here.

  Every single one of them, if they're OT to Physio to whatever they're doing.

  If they're just here they've helped a lot.

  I believe I wouldn't have got as better as I am as quick as I did if I did not come here.

  It took me a bit to get up here, I was nervous to come here at the start.

  But I got here, and it helped, so I wouldn't change it for anything.

  This is the way I would want to get better, is to come here to definitely get better, especially with a brain injury.

  Hi, my name's Adam Scott.

  In late February I was involved in an assault.

  I didn't really know what to expect actually, this is all very new for me,

  I obviously have no experience in this.

  But walking into here is the best thing I've done.

  Just the support, the trust and everything you get here has just made it so much easier.

  Just re-learning the basic fundamentals of day to day living which has been confronting and challenging.

  just with coordination, balance. There is a lot of mental health around the injury as well so working through that.

  This is a hidden injury that is very silent but to me it's not silent in my head.

  It's very hard to explain to someone that hasn't gone through this injury.

  But it definitely does change your perspective and everything on life, and yeah.

  I continue to hold a very positive outlook on the situation that I am in, and I have learnt a hell of a lot in here to help me with that.

  I think when people come here, the biggest thing is they actually walk in the door, and it doesn't take long for people just to go 'Ohh!

  This feels good' and for people to realise that this is not a hospital by any means.

  We don't wear uniforms, we're very casual.

  We have fun, you know, we work hard, and the clients work really hard!

  But it's a really enjoyable, supportive experience and people that come here make friendships and connections with people that they continue beyond here.

  So, whilst I understand it's a challenge getting here and it is the unknown, and we are the unknown,

  I think once people get here, they actually get a lot out of it and that's just beautiful to watch.

  I think I can speak on behalf of all the staff here, we love working here.

  We're very passionate about brain injury, we are very team orientated, we work really well together and the clients and the people we work with are all part of the team, so we're just one big team working on common goals.

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Partnership with your General Practitioner

SWBIRS does not have resident medical providers. We work with your GP and rehabilitation physicians.

Rehabilitation Coordination

Rehabilitation coordinators are SWBIRS team members who work with you to help organise the services you need. For example, we can organise therapy at SWBIRS, therapy from local services, and home help - ensuring services are provided in a timely and appropriate way.  

Rehabilitation coordinators maintain contact with funding agencies to fund rehabilitation and support services. Examples include, Lifetime Care and Support, Transport Accident Commission, Motor Accident Authority, and Workcover.

Key contacts: 

Phone: (02) 5943 4600

Email: MLHD-Albury-SWBIRS@health.nsw.gov.au

Address: 

335 Reservoir Road
Lavington
NSW 264

WWRS provides rehabilitation across the Murrumbidgee LHD and aims to support you to maintain independence during and after an injury or illness.

Our rehabilitation services include:

• an inpatient rehabilitation unit at the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital (WWBH)
• outreach inpatient and outpatient services
• rehabilitation medicine consultancy service
• prosthetic and orthotic clinics 
• Acute Rehabilitation Team (ART) – provides rehabilitation to the acute wards in WWBH
• Wagga Wagga Ambulatory Rehabilitation Service (ARS) – provides out-patient rehabilitation to people in Wagga Wagga.

Conditions referred to WWRS could include:

• amputation
• spinal cord injuries and Spina Bifida
• neurological conditions such as Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Post-Polio Syndrome, Brain Injury, adults with Cerebral Palsy
• post-operative orthopaedic procedures for hip fractures or elective hip/knee replacements with increased rehab requirements
• loss of strength following a prolong hospitalisation or illness.

Wagga Wagga Ambulatory Rehabilitation Service (ARS)

The ARS team works with you to set rehabilitation goals that are important to you and support your independence. We work with you in the WWBH gym or at your home.  

Goals might include cooking, gardening, going out for coffee, brushing your teeth, shopping, and collecting the mail. 

Referrals can be made from a GP, therapist, specialist, metropolitan hospitals, or a self-referral to the ambulatory services. 

The ARS team include the following roles:

• coordinator
• social worker
• physiotherapists
• speech pathologist
• allied health assistants 
• occupational therapists
• rehabilitation physicians

Outreach rehabilitation services

Inpatient service

A shared care rehabilitation model for inpatients is offered in Tumut, Temora and Narrandera. 

It enables people to receive rehabilitation therapy closer to family and friends in their own community. 

A specialist team comprising nursing, general practitioners, a rehabilitation specialist, physiotherapist, and occupational therapist work from Wagga Wagga deliver rehabilitation therapy.

Therapists visit each hospital once a week, and an allied health therapist supervises therapies 5 days a week. Virtual care (telehealth) reviews are available 5 days a week, as needed.

Ambulatory service

Our ambulatory service offers rehabilitation services in Tumut, Temora and Narrandera. We can meet you at the local hospital, at your home or in the community.

Outpatient referrals

Referrals can be made from a GP, therapist, specialist, metropolitan hospitals, or a self-referral to the ambulatory services. 

Rehabilitation medicine specialist clinics

Doctors Louis Baggio and Rachael McQueen provide weekly outpatient clinics for people in Murrumbidgee LHD, for the following conditions:

• amputations and prosthetic management
• neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction
• footwear management (off the shelf or custom-made recommendations)
• orthotic management - (upper and lower limbs) such as prescription of ankle foot orthoses
• spasticity management - including botulinum toxin injections post stroke, cerebral palsy or neurological conditions or the need for intrathecal pumps
• neurological conditions - stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Guillain Barre Syndrome, Parkinson’s Syndromes, muscular dystrophies, peripheral neuropathies, post-Polio Syndrome, and adults with Spina Bifida and Cerebral Palsy
• spinal cord injury (traumatic/atraumatic): comprehensive assessment and management, traumatic/atraumatic brain injury - mild or severe. They also provide a consultancy service to- and work with the South West Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (SWBIRS) in Albury.

Note: you will need a GP referral to access these specialist services. 

Key contacts

Rehabilitation Services Coordinator - Wagga Wagga Base Hospital
Phone: 0429 309 087
Email: MLHD-WWRRH-RehabilitationReferrals@health.nsw.gov.au
Address:
Wagga Wagga Base Hospital
PO Box 159, 
Edward Street
Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650

APOS is a full-time clinical and workshop facility located at Lavington in Albury. It is a registered provider of orthotics (supportive braces) and prosthetics (artificial limbs) services for the NDIS, Enable NSW, Victorian SWEP and many other funding bodies.

It services the hospitals and community of Murrumbidgee and Murray regions in NSW and north-east Victoria. The service also has satellite rooms and a workshop at the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital. 

In addition, the service includes clinical assessments, fabrication, fitting maintenance, and education in all aspects of prosthetics, orthotics and footwear for all ages. 

APOS hosts a regular surgical footwear clinic for the provision of medical-grade custom footwear. 

Note: you will need a GP referral to access the APOS.

NDIS participants

APOS is a NDIS-registered provider for all prosthetic, orthotic and other custom 'assistive technology'. NDIS participants can access the APOS in either Lavington or Wagga Wagga.

Key contacts

• Albury Prosthetics and Orthotics Service
  Phone: (02) 6049 0100
  Address:
  335 Reservoir Road
  Lavington 
  NSW 2641
• Wagga Wagga Prosthetics and Orthotics Service
  Phone: (02) 5943 1400
  Address:
  Docker Street
  Rawson Lane Car Park
  Wagga Wagga 
  NSW 2650