SLI Brain Injury Wellness Center receives $10,000 grant from the Dana Home Foundation -- Grant to support a photovoice project that explores community integration of older adults with brain injury and other neurologic disorders living in Lexington

The SLI Brain Injury Wellness Center is initiating a new research project exploring community integration of older adults with brain injury and other neurologic disorders living in Lexington, Massachusetts. This project is supported by a grant from the Dana Home Foundation.

The new Wellness Center project is an opportunity to understand Lexington’s unique characteristics related to community integration among older adults with disabilities from brain injury (e.g. falls, strokes and brain tumors) and envision actionable local solutions. 

The grant’s keystone activity is a photovoice project with 12 Lexington residents, aged 60 and older and living with disabilities from brain injury, to understand local environmental factors that impact community integration from their perspectives. Such factors can be positive and negative; examples include access, relationships, attitudes, services, and policies. An exhibit of project photographs and captions will be shared with the community and inform future action.

 “Photovoice has a serious purpose yet is fun and educational as people use cameras to answer questions, discuss their photos together, and prepare an exhibit,” said Laura Lorenz, research and education director, SLI Brain Injury Wellness Center and Visiting Scholar at Brandeis University. “The project will culminate in brainstorming sessions with local stakeholder organizations to identify actionable solutions for addressing identified problems and supporting identified strengths related to community integration of elders with disabilities.”

The SLI Brain Injury Wellness Center, located in Lexington, Mass., provides physical, cognitive and social fitness programs to help improve the lives of individuals affected by brain injury. The Wellness Center also coordinates collaborative efforts of academic and clinical professionals to conduct research on the effectiveness of these programs.

Conventional thinking related to brain injury has been that the neurological improvement to the brain will plateau after a certain period of time. Research has proven this assumption incorrect and is showing that the brain can recover function for many years after the injury. The Wellness Center provides fitness programs and conducts research to help foster and validate this improvement.

Community integration entails opportunities for human interactions, a place to live that provides freedom and choice, and opportunities for meaningful things to do. Lack of community integrations is known to cause stress, contribute to depression and worsen health among adults with disabilities from brain injury. A basic principle of the Wellness Center is that greater community integration of adults with brain injury is beneficial for all Lexington residents.

The Dana Home Foundation, founded in 2010, is dedicated to providing for the care, comfort and well-being of senior citizens, with a special emphasis on serving, directly or indirectly, the needs of those who reside in or have connections to the Town of Lexington.