Not a lot is known about the prevalence of Acquired Brain Impairment in the Koori community. It has been identified, however, that the main risk factor for Kooris is alcohol abuse. Stroke and head injuries are also thought to contribute to the incidence of Acquired Brain Impairment. All these factors can be linked to the radical changes to diet and lifestyle we have experienced in the past 200 years.

As a community, we are concerned with the long term and devastating effects that alcohol has had on the health of our people. We are seeking new ways to deal with our feelings of dispossession and social dislocation in our treatment and rehabilitation programs.

We now face the challenge of devising ways of educating our community about brain impairment caused by alcohol use, and by other conditions. We are also concerned with providing the best possible care to those of us who suffer from it. In doing this, we take into account how the experiences of Koori people today are shaped by the experiences of the past.