A New Blueprint for Brain Health : How Community-Led Evaluations will Construct a Healthier Future

Abstract

This open access book presents an integrative vision to achieve better brain health. Across the globe is a growing awareness of the impact of neurological conditions and mental health on wellbeing. Also as populations age, the number of people impacted by brain health conditions also grows, shining a light on the need for brain health “solutions” that are sustainable. Although the knowledge of what is working for a variety of brain health conditions continues to expand, we need to realize that not all solutions will come from medical research. What is needed to address brain health in a more sustainable way is a better understanding of the care that community provides and how a vision of better brain health will be found by deepening our understanding of the role of community and elevating the value of their contributions. Community organizations provide frontline care and have a tangible understanding of the needs that accompany the populations above. This means they are well equipped to provide local and accessible care. Community is a place in which brain health solutions can be delivered in a sustainable, effective, efficient, equitable and person-centered way. As such, the knowledge community organizations can contribute to the bigger picture of health care is important. This project responds to the need to better understand community care by highlighting how the role of evaluative thinking in the community sector can help us generate evidence to navigate towards better brain health futures. By first recognizing and then supporting community-led care, we can expand how we view and receive care. Along these lines, the book moves from a view of healthcare as being only delivered in hospitals and clinics to recognizing the continuum of care and integration of healthcare options. It provides a space for stories of health care solutions that indeed have connected health to the social and the community sectors. By exploring community interventions that have been integrated with biomedical/neuroscientific solutions, we will learn how integrated sustainable solutions can be created. The role of evaluation in helping facilitate the creation of such solutions also will be explored. This project is a partnership between the Ontario Brain Institute and the Evaluation Centre for Complex Health Interventions and reflects our collective learnings from our work in developmental evaluation and brain health.