A new brain health friendship group was launched in the Victorian Parliament on August 12 — the first of its kind in the state.
The event was attended by members of parliament, industry experts and community members from Melbourne’s western suburbs who shared their lived experiences with brain and mental health challenges.
Chair of Migraine Foundation and director of Western Health’s neurology and stroke department Tissa Wijeratne said the friendship group will help promote brain health awareness across the state.
“When you establish a parliamentary friendship group it gives you a platform to gather, share ideas, and promote, and eventually be part of policies, procedures and legislation,” Mr Wijeratne said.
“This launch is not just symbolic, it is visionary, positioning Victoria as a national and global leader in brain health awareness and equity.”
According to the National Library of Medicine, 43 per cent of the global population is affected by neurological disorders.
“There is no family in the world which is not impacted by one of these conditions… it impacts the way that you live,” Mr Wijeratne said.
He said the launch will set the stage for a bottom-up approach to promoting preventive brain health for Victorians.
“We now need to talk to the community in a language they can understand, in a language they can follow and then get them involved and engaged,” he said.
Mr Wijeratne emphasised brain health is a matter for the economy too.
“If our brains aren’t functioning well we can’t build a great economy. So you need to promote and support brain health whether you have a brain disorder or not to maximise capital… so we can maintain a healthy, wealthy, resilient, inclusive society.” Mr Wijeratne said
Melton mayor Steve Abboushi was present at the launch.
In his speech, Cr Abboushi said advocacy for better education, greater empathy and more resources for people living with neurological disorders is vital.
In a council meeting in April last year, Cr Abboushi raised a notice of motion stating that Melton council should support preventative brain health campaigns as well as initiatives that raise awareness and facilitate access to brain health resources for the community.
