Update AND thank you!!!

March 14, 2016

Dear Wonderful Backers,

This “Lab Note,” drafted a few days ago, has now turned into a thank you note, as we just reached our goal today. Thank you very much, each and every one of you!! We are very inspired by your support and excited to start the project.It will take a little while to get up and running, and we will we keep you posted on our progress.

In the meantime, we continue to analyze the results of the outcomes study that started 15 years ago, and is still ongoing. Below is a graph showing people’s average self-rated satisfaction on various important dimensions of life, from the start of treatment through the 3-year follow-up. (Key: ILS - Independent Living Skills; DS - Daily Structure; PH - Physical Health; MH - Mental Health; FR - Family Relationships; CS - Community Support; SR - Social Relationships; SP - Spirituality). Scores can range from 1-10; higher scores indicate greater satisfaction. On all dimensions, there are statistically significant increases between admission and discharge and few significant decreases during the follow-up period. That is, people in the study experienced improvement in their quality of life while being treated at Gould Farm and those gains persist after they leave and return to other communities.

We suspect that it is some combination of the meaningful work and strong social relationships that exist in this caring community, along with traditional counseling and medication. On a working farm, everyone has a role. There is a reason to get up in the morning, many natural opportunities to interact with others, to regain confidence and life skills, and time to learn about the habits of thinking and living that support a path to recovery from mental illness.

Gould Farm has been helping people in need since 1913, over 100 years! See www.gouldfarm.org if you are curious about the program ithat we are studying. We leave you with some scenes from earlier times and again, warmly thank you for your support of the research that will help us understand the Gould Farm treatment in our times.