I didn’t watch the Logies live. After more than a few people mentioned Molly Meldrum’s speech, I looked it up on YouTube.
It has been described as “car crash TV”, Molly gatecrashing Samuel Johnson’s speech and just plain rude.
I understand why it may look that way. However, Molly has showcased a reality for many people – the social discomfort of acquired brain injury.
Although Molly’s accident in 2011 was well publicised, the reaction to his Logies speech indicates to me that most people thought he was drunk, a prima donna or simply socially inappropriate.
Perhaps the problem is that he was so well known before the accident that the public does not realise that personalities and behaviour can be completely altered by acquired brain injury. Family members often hide people away to “save them from themselves” or because they do not want anyone to see how far they have fallen. I understand this protective attitude but it has meant that acquired brain injury is not commonly understood by the broader community.
A former president of the Guardianship and Administration Tribunal pointed out that we are seeing a rise in people who are affected by brain injury. This is in part because of the ageing population but also because of the greater need for higher level executive functioning in the modern world. In the past, someone with a mild head injury living in a rural community could continue living with very little change in their circumstances. Now we need a higher level of functioning to negotiate the digital world and operate an ATM.
With this in mind, it is critical that we show some compassion to people living with brain injury. 
