The stories in this edition show that McLean’s mission is expansive—with an array of integrated clinical, research, training, and public education activities geared toward individuals, family members, and the broader community.
In this edition, you’ll read about innovative services like neurotherapeutics, which McLean has expanded with the growing evidence of their effectiveness. Related, one person shares how her treatment inspired her to suggest a new approach to helping patients manage memory issues following ECT, which is now being implemented and studied at McLean.
One of the most significant public health issues today is the physical and emotional toll taken on those caring for a family member with dementia. McLean’s Division of Geriatric Psychiatry is at the forefront of the “caring for caregivers” movement.
We share details on a new grant to formally integrate caregiver support into our clinical services for patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. You’ll also hear from one couple coping gracefully with these challenges, thanks in part to the support they’ve received at McLean.
Public awareness of mental health is growing, and McLean was the beneficiary of the Boston Bruins BFit Challenge earlier this year, thanks to the Martin Richard Foundation and a tremendous community of supporters.
Finally, one of our long-time honorary trustees is supporting both patients and staff at the Hill Center Trauma Continuum of Care with artwork to brighten the environment and “The Grateful Fund” to recognize our hard-working staff.
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A Living Lab for Dementia Caregivers
A wife had been caring for her husband with dementia at home for four years. She had come to McLean’s geriatric outpatient clinic to find out where to get more help for him. But it soon became apparent that she needed help herself. She was lonely and struggling with making decisions on her own. Her friendships had withered, and hobbies were a thing of the past.
Neurotherapeutics Offer Hope for Treatment-Resistant Depression
As a young psychiatrist, Stephen J. Seiner, MD, witnessed how effective electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was for some of the depressed patients he encountered during a geriatric fellowship at McLean. “I saw how lifesaving it could be for patients who did not respond to medication,” said Seiner. After his fellowship, he stayed at McLean to focus on ECT.
Honorary Trustee Establishes Fund To Support Hill Center Staff
It started with a phone call. Jeanne Blake, a McLean Hospital honorary trustee, had provided philanthropic support to the Trauma Continuum of Care at the Hill Center. Now she heard that hospital staff—still weary from the demands of the pandemic—could use a boost. So, she called Milissa Kaufman, MD, PhD, the continuum’s medical director, and asked how she could help. Kaufman had an idea. “A donor provided funds to paint the Hill Center,” she said, “but some art would further spruce up the place.” Blake got on it.
Read more in the full issue:
Martin Richard Foundation Supports LEADER Program
On Sunday, January 28, the Boston Bruins Foundation held their 8th annual BFit Challenge at TD Garden. 257 participating teams, made up of over 2,000 first responders, military personnel, and community members, climbed the stadium stairs, raising nearly $900,000 for first responder and military charities.
One of the benefitting charities was McLean’s own LEADER (Law Enforcement, Active Duty, and Emergency Responder) program. Founded in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, LEADER supports police, active military, and first responders as they face unique, job-related psychological stress and trauma.
Team MR8, organized by the Martin Richard Foundation, created a team that raised more than $70,000 for LEADER. Founded in January 2014 by Denise and Bill Richard, the foundation honors their late son, Martin, who was killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
To Bill, choosing to designate the funds to LEADER was an easy decision, especially given their pre-existing relationship. “After the 2013 bombings, we had a personal connection to first responders. We knew that going forward, we wanted to support them, but we weren’t sure how.”
The answer to this question appeared when a good friend, and retired member of the Boston Police Department, put him in touch with LEADER. In 2018, the Martin Richard Foundation supported LEADER through their first annual MR8K race.
Bill continued to keep in touch with McLean, and when the opportunity to partner with the Bruins Foundation and participate in the 2024 BFit challenge arose, he decided once again to designate Team MR8’s proceeds to LEADER.
He described the event as both incredibly exciting and inspirational, set in an iconic and historic location and filled with thousands of people collectively supporting a shared cause.
Since the challenge, the Martin Richard Foundation’s board voted to contribute an additional $30,000 to the effort, rounding the gift to a tremendous $100,000 to support LEADER.
“We plan to maintain our relationship with McLean and the LEADER program,” added Bill. “It’s such important work, and we’re grateful to be able to do what we can.”
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