Whanganui woman's crusade to raise awareness of brain injury

Nerrily Frith is local Brain Injury Association liaison officer and wants to raise awareness for the organisation and its work. Photo / Paul Brooks

Nerrily Frith is the co-ordinator for the local branch of Brain Injury Association NZ, and she finds it a good fit.

"I'm loving the connection with other agencies in town and with the clients," she says. Nerrily is in frequent contact with MSD, ACC, doctors and hospitals. "I've also referred clients on to Bobbie Bryce at the Memory Clinic.

"I'm classed as a liaison officer, so my job is to offer support or advocacy where needed, for different clients, but a lot of them just need an ear to listen to what's going on.
"Also as part of my role, I take clients to appointments, both in and out of town."

Nerrily attends social services meetings at MSD, Positive Aging at Council, and once a month she goes to Taihape to meet up with other agencies and does the same in Marton. She also has a few clients at the prison.

She is aware that brain injury still carries a certain stigma, because people with such an injury are "different".

"It is so wrong, so wrong. It should not define who they are."

Nerrily was assaulted in a previous job and suffered months of concussion as a result. "I have some inkling of what some clients may go through."

This year she wants to raise awareness, not only for brain injury, but also for people who have had brain tumours, anything to do with the brain.

"People who have had strokes can end up with a brain injury. Aneurisms can cause a brain injury."

Nerrily is looking at March 31 for a gentle 5 kilometre twilight walk along the river bank to raise the profile of Brain Injury.

She wants to talk to such agencies as Balance, People First, Diabetes, for example, and see if they'll come on board, and she's arranged for an ice cream truck – Ice Queen – to be there.

She's also planning an event later in the year at which people with a brain injury can talk about their personal experience.

She wants to set people right about brain injury, that it doesn't just come about through sports or car crashes. Medical events, for example.

"Anything that can cause a sudden lack of oxygen to the brain – heart attacks, strokes, there are multiple things that could do it. That's a brain injury. Difficult births can cause a brain injury.

"The more we can talk about it, the better."

Nerrily began her career nursing until she stopped to look after her mother. She then worked in rest homes and became assistant manager at Wattle Downs (now Okere House). From there she worked at Idea Services for 10 years before starting her job at Brain Injury Association.

"So I worked with people with disabilities most of my life."

Nerrily is also President of the Brain Injury Association and has been for the past few years.