estara R25005: Commenced 2/12/2025
The Peer Support Mentoring Service provides support, advice, education and information for participants who have recently acquired a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and their support networks. estara's Peer Support Mentors live with SCI, so they bring an understanding of the issues confronting people during and after rehabilitation. They provide people with the opportunity to talk to someone who appreciates the challenges faced as a person with SCI and/or associated disability. The Peer Support Mentor program is based in the Spinal Cord Injury Unit (SCIU) at The Repat Hospital Complex, Daw Park.
Limbs 4 Life Incorporated R25026: Commenced 20/11/2025
Limbs4Life will develop a comprehensive handbook and training video for clinicians from a patient-centred perspective on trauma-related amputations. Drawing from patient experiences, this handbook becomes a DO/DON’T for providing support to people pre/post amputation exploring the physical, psychological and practical challenges experienced by individuals. The guide emphasises the need for shared decision-making, to improve long-term patient outcomes and covers acute-care, rehabilitation and long-term support. By centring the narrative around the patient’s journey, clinicians gain deeper insight into the lived impact of trauma-related amputation/s, enabling effective care for each individual's recovery and resilience, and bridging clinical expertise with real life experience.
Brain Injury SA R25028: Commenced 4/11/2025
The Reconnect Transition Program (RTP) supports people living with acquired brain injury to build confidence, connection, and life skills through structured group sessions. Led by experienced psychologists and supported by peer mentors with lived experience, the program fosters personal growth, community re-engagement, and resilience. Each year, RTP delivers five 10-week group programs (including youth-specific streams), monthly education and support sessions, regional outreach, and alumni engagement events. While priority is given to Lifetime Support Scheme (LSS) participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI), the program may also include people with acquired brain injury (ABI) from other causes, with LSA approval.
Brain Injury SA R24015: Commenced 4/11/2024
Building on the successful work of the Be Well for Carers program, this will commence development of a support service that extends the concept of developing resilience and wellbeing to active engagement in education and support once per month, with regional access via telehealth. Further program development will be informed by the research currently underway.
estara R24031: Commenced 1/11/2024
The South Australian Spinal Cord injury service (SASCIS) is seeking to retrofit 2 patient rooms with automation and integrated assistive technology at the Repatriation Hospital. Modification to the patient room/s will allow for increased independence for patients with high level spinal injuries supporting them to strengthen their self-direction during admission at SASCIS. Modifications are planned to occur to two patient room with the addition of voice controls, switch scanning and touch screen technologies to enable patients to control services within their individual room. This would include controls for patient's tv, bed, lights, blinds and door controls via ipad integration alongside Occupational Therapy (OT) supervision and training. Bringing controls to one platform will provide person centred opportunities for patients and align with rehabilitation goals of enablement.
Brain Injury SA R23011: Commenced 2/10/ 2023
The value of someone with similar lived experience of brain trauma assisting another understand and adjust to the impact of brain injury has been evidenced and has been termed Peer Mentoring or Peer Support.
In 2022 LSA provided grant funding to Brain Injury SA for one year to develop such a program, building on both its experience of involving Peer Mentors in the Reconnect Transition Program and also the health funded inpatient program that ceases on hospital discharge of people incurring brain injury.
This initiative recognised the potential value of a program to both the giver and receiver of the support, aiding the transition of the person with a brain injury receiving the support. whilst providing a purposeful pathway of employment for people with brain injury wishing to share and support others with their experience.
During its first eight months of operation the program has utilised the funding provided to develop structure and resources for safe program delivery, developed a strong initial team of people with lived experience to provide support and is on track for successful delivery of 20 support matches for people in transition following brain injury and completion of a 3-month program of support with supervision in its first full year of operation. This has included detailed evaluation of the supporters and recipients, demonstrating that the program is both viable and important in a variety of ways to aid pathways to live life with quality after brain injury.
This application is seeking to build on this initial success through the provision of three years of funding to grow access to the program for both the givers and recipients of support, whilst maintaining its vigorous evaluation data collection to inform this and future programs of this type in their development and their effective utilisation.
