We are human and while we can fall into the trap of treating ourselves like robots, as humans at risk of injury and accident, the recovery (there’s that eight-letter word again) journey is an individual experience that can’t be hurried, which is why allowing sufficient time to recover is important because of one very important factor.  Fatigue. Fatigue is one of the biggest challenges and common frustrations to full recovery, yet frequently ignored or downplayed. You might have been signed … [Read more...]

How do you know if your brain is functioning normally? Until recently, unless you’ve had a head injury, or suffered some sort of health event that affected your thinking or your mood, chances are no-one will have checked to see what’s going on inside your head. Other than being an eight-letter word, recovery means different things to different people, depending on your choice of perspective.  We talk about getting back on our feet, being fit for task or work ready - but do the evaluations … [Read more...]

Should I care about my brain health?    Is the Pope a Catholic? Sorry if this sounds facetious, but I find it more than a touch frustrating when I hear this question being repeatedly asked as if this is something new, or perhaps a little weird, along with a hint of underlying skepticism that this is just the latest fad doing the rounds.  Though perhaps I should be grateful that the question is being raised more often in the public forum. What’s wrong with brain health?  The underlying problem … [Read more...]

When we are working in recovery, rehabilitation and RTW we often find ourselves facing people who can be labelled as difficult.  We know them.  Many of us have met them time and time again.  Maybe we have even been a difficult person. There is a lot written about identifying a difficult person and how to communicate with a difficult person.  My experience as a Rehabilitation Professional tells me that people often appear difficult when they feel threatened or are experiencing a lack of … [Read more...]

We’ve heard the stories before.  One day a friend, or family member walks into their workplace, the next, they are out of work.  Sometimes this is expected, sometimes it’s a complete shock. The reasons people find themselves looking for a new role is many and varied.  In 2017, here in Australia we have the increasing casualisation of the workforce.  This concept is not new, yet for many who find themselves looking for a new role, it’s realities are quite confronting. [1] In 2016, Bill … [Read more...]

I didn’t want to write this post.  But there are times when something impacts you so significantly that you know you have to write it, or speak it or show it.  This is one of those times. It is not my intention to trigger people or cause harm in writing this post.  If you experience strong emotions, please scroll to the bottom of this article where I have resources and help listed for you. As we were sharing some of our highlights and low- lights of the last 90 days, one woman full of … [Read more...]

If you are reading this blog, chances are you have some interest in money, wealth and financial security. We have this incredible opportunity here in Australia where we can actually insure ourselves, our income and our health.  You see insurance companies already know what we’re only just beginning to catch onto ourselves – that is our health is our wealth. Think about this for a moment – what happens for you when you think about not being able to work? Not in that “wishful thinking, … [Read more...]

This week is Brain Injury Awareness week #BIA2017.  We at Purple Co have been providing services to people who live with injuries to their brains, and the functional consequences of these injuries, since the company started in 2008.   What has been interesting for me, and for other Rehabilitation Professionals to acknowledge is how vastly different each experience of brain injury is.  This is so much more than a severity rating.  It’s the personal and psycho social implications of the types of … [Read more...]