Dameon O’Boyle
Community & Reflections
Notes on community support, volunteering and the people behind the questions that interest me.
Running for the Victoria Brain Injury Society
Community · Victoria half marathon
I ran the Victoria half marathon in support of the Victoria Brain Injury Society (VBIS). I would like to use this space to draw attention to the people doing that work and to the community they support.
VBIS supports people living with acquired brain injuries and their loved ones across Greater Victoria. Its services include individual and group support, peer support, education and support for families and caregivers. The society describes its programs and services as free of charge.
Supporting a local organisation is one practical way to connect an interest in the brain with everyday life. The questions extend beyond an assessment or a hospital stay: how do people find support, build confidence and maintain connection in their community?
To learn about VBIS, access its current information or find ways to help, visit the society directly.
Running in support of the Victoria Brain Injury Society.
What volunteering taught me about listening
Victoria General Hospital · Volunteering
Volunteering at Victoria General Hospital gave me a different perspective on what it means to be helpful. The lesson I want to carry forward is the value of listening and patience: giving a person time, paying attention to what matters to them and allowing a conversation to move at their pace.
It is easy to arrive with a question or an idea of what someone needs. Listening asks for something quieter. It means making room for the person to direct the conversation, rather than treating every pause as something to fill or every difficulty as something to solve.
As a volunteer, my contribution was different from that of the clinical team. Being present, having a conversation and treating someone as a whole person could still matter. An interest in cognition should leave room for identity, relationships and the ordinary things that give a day meaning.
This is a perspective I want to bring into my developing interest in psychology and neuropsychology. Careful measurement matters, and so does the context in which it happens. A person’s experience cannot be captured by a score alone.
Listening and patience are habits I want to keep practising. They remind me that understanding begins with attention to the person in front of me.