Community Living With Mental Illness: A Sensory Health Initiative (2024-2025)

This project team set out to understand how to better support independent living and community integration for adults with serious mental illness. Using participatory research methods, team members collaborated with adults with SMI, caregivers and community providers to examine two central questions: which independent living skills are necessary for successful community living, and how sensory health affects participation in meaningful activities. Their long-term aim is to develop practical interventions and screening tools that can be used by community behavioral health providers.

Through focus groups and interviews with 35 participants—including occupational therapists, mental health providers, caregivers and adults with SMI—the team identified key challenges and misconceptions. Findings revealed that sensory health difficulties often interfere with self-care, nutrition, social participation and coping strategies. Additionally, community providers sometimes hold misaligned views of what independent living entails, resulting in support practices that may not match the actual needs of adults with SMI.

The team is now using NVivo to conduct formal analyses and refine these findings into practical tools. They are developing a living skills screen, and a sensory health screen tailored for use in community behavioral health settings, along with intervention resources to guide providers. Ultimately, this work aims to equip providers with more accurate assessments and resources, improve sensory health support and strengthen the ability of adults with SMI to live independently and fully participate in community life.

Timing

Summer 2024 – Summer 2025

Team Outputs

Community Living with Mental Illness: A Sensory Health and Living Skill Initiative (Poster presentation at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 16, 2025)