The family-like environment at Villa Licci will be designed to include shared common spaces and provide planned social opportunities.  This is intended to nurture friendships which contribute to an overall sense of belonging and well-being for all residents. Villa Licci will be a pioneer in providing TBI survivors with a residential setting in which they can find and form a sense of community and belonging.

Phase I

The first phase of this project was to identify and acquire property that would meet the planned development needs. In April 2021, a 13-acre property located in central Indiana was purchased. Funded by a group of parents of TBI survivors, this completed the initial phase.

Phase II

The next phase of this project begins with the selection of the site development partners for architecture, engineering, and construction. It will conclude with the completion of the initial community residence.  This residence will feature the first residential building which contains one- and two-bedroom apartments.  In addition, a gathering room, common space, and a chapel are in the plans. Around the community, there will be walking paths, gardens, recreation spaces, and a pond, encouraging residents to partake in outdoor and physical activities.

Apartments are intended to be equipped with various private living features such as a kitchen, laundry facilities, a living room, and an outdoor space. Because of the vast spectrum of TBI-related disabilities, each unit will be outfitted to best suit both the abilities of the survivors and the challenges they face.  This will include wheelchair accessible rooms and easily maneuverable spaces. We are currently in the beginning stages of this phase.

Phases III and IV

These future phases will consist of expanding the community by erecting a second residential building, adding a community center, and enhancing the landscaping for the residents to enjoy. The timeline for these phases is to be determined.

Over the next five years, Villa Licci will continue its capital campaign, break ground, and begin construction on its first residence. The target move-in date for the first residents is 2027. Would you please consider contributing towards this capital campaign and ensuring these TBI survivors have a community to belong to?

 

Donate to Villa Licci

Dear friends,

Hello and welcome to the second issue of The Survivor, the official e-newsletter of Villa Licci. We thank you for supporting our unique mission and for joining us in creating and cultivating a residential community for adult survivors of traumatic brain injury. Below you will find a roundup of recent blog posts, upcoming events, notable happenings, and more.

Please share this newsletter with your family and friends and help to spread the mission of Villa Licci!

If you have any questions or would like to share your ideas, please feel free to reach out to me.

Richard Sontag

Executive Director
Villa Licci

Did you know that approximately 2% of Americans live with the effects of a brain injury?  In Indiana alone, there are over 130,000 individuals living with a long-term disability due to a traumatic brain injury (TBI).  While everyone has a unique story, there are many common threads that bind them together. For most, the lives of these survivors changed dramatically after their accident with profound implications for their mental, functional, and emotional well-being. The fact that they also remember life before their accidents adds further emotional distress and creates a longing to regain what they know they have lost.

Individual Effects

A TBI may result in mild, moderate, or severe changes in one or more abilities, such as cognition, speech, physical functions, and social behavior. This affects the overall quality of life for these survivors and often results in great loss – loss of jobs, loss of friendships, loss of self-worth, and loss of community.

Studies of mild to severe brain injury survivors show only 34% are stably employed after three years and approximately 60% of moderate to severe TBI survivors do not return to work. Of those who do, most are not able to return to their former line of work or are unable to return permanently.

TBI survivors often feel isolated and lonely and want more out of life. They feel constrained, however, by their inability to follow conversations, to remember things, and to do physical activities that were once effortless. They feel lonely but often reluctant to leave the house, so they withdraw into their own world.

Due to their brain injuries, many of the survivors’ relationships are greatly impacted. In families, changes in roles and responsibilities can add stress and increase tension among members. Relationships with friends, coworkers, community members, even family members can become difficult to sustain. This can lead to or exacerbate already existing depression, anxiety, and other mental stressors.

Community Effects

When someone suffers from a TBI, the entire family is dramatically affected. Studies show that caregivers and other family members of people who have suffered a brain injury typically experience feelings of distress, anxiety, anger, and depression. These family members are often concerned about the future and what will happen when they are gone – namely where can their loved one live semi-independently and with purpose.

However, this can present a challenge when many TBI survivors need help throughout their day to perform even basic tasks and aren’t always able to receive it. They do often live at home with their parents who may work or have little time to provide appropriate caregiving, or they live in care facilities that are not designed to meet their unique needs.

People with a TBI differ from those with other disorders and disabilities that seem to have the same affects in that a TBI is an acquired injury. Each TBI survivor was living their life a certain way and now they must live differently due to their injury. This creates a dramatic “before and after” to their lives, and many lament the loss of the life they once had, which now seems unattainable.

Why we need Villa Licci

Villa Licci strives to bridge this gap of loss by creating a residential community encouraging friendship, cultivating independence, and providing a strong support structure.  While it can never fully “bring back” what once was, it can help survivors transition to a new and fulfilling life with purpose and meaning.

Won’t you consider supporting this dream and helping it become reality?

Donate to Villa Licci today!