Improving our services - Headway House research findings

We are always looking at better ways to support our members, the brain injured and their families. So we recently undertook some research to determine how we could improve the services we provide at Headway.

Participants were asked what they liked about Headway, what they didn't like and what services they would like access to.

It was great to see that many Headway members found our support services helpful and the ability to talk to other people with brain injury insightful. The research also showed that there are skill development, education and advocacy that the brain injured and their carers would like Headway to assist with. 

Over the coming months we will be taking the suggestions provided and looking at ways that we can implement new programs or make improvements to our existing services.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this research. Keep an eye out for updates to what we offer.

Key insights

Headway member demographics

• 54% female, 46% male
• 24% access services once a week or more, 27% access our services once a month
• 20% have used Headway services for more than 20 years

What our members are saying about us

“Talking with the other carers is great, they are the only people in the community who understand the feelings and emotions involved when caring for a brain injured person. Sharing these, knowing its not just you feeling a certain way, helps to return normality to your life”

“Like the informality of support groups and ability to connect with others with brain injuries”

“Lovely place, lovely people”

What our members like about Headway

• The friendly empathetic people who work and attend Headway
• Lovely to feel normal for an hour or two because everyone understands what it feels like to live with a brain injury 
• Its really helpful to learn from other people, how they cope with issues such as balance and memory loss, discrimination, fatigue etc. Its encouraging and inspiring to see what others have achieved, e.g. Driving a car or riding a bike and to hear how they did it so we can do it too
   

What additional services our members would like Headway to offer

Activity based services	Skill based services	Knowledge based services
Men's and women's day's out Walking group Movie screenings Wellness sessions Seminars on exercise, yoga, meditation	Computer lessons Technology, smart phone, social media, website education Personal organisation Brain training - problem solving Strategies for carers	Advocacy with ACC and other services Back to work assistance Updates on new brain research Buddy service Guest speakers- neurologist, physio, employment advisor