Residents of the Legacy Senior Communities Participate in Two Highly Innovative Research Studies

DALLAS, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This February, residents from The Legacy Midtown Park in Dallas and The Legacy Willow Bend in Plano, participated in two innovative research studies that could change senior living. Grant Lichtman, author and researcher, headed up the first study with the goal to understand and chronicle wisdom from silenced minorities. The second study was sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Residents participated in The Smell Test Challenge to help scientists gain a better understanding of who is at risk for Parkinson's and other brain diseases, who gets it, who doesn't and why. 

Writer and researcher Grant Lichtman started his listening journey through the U.S. and Canada last Fall to unearth deep cultural wisdom in "overlooked" communities. According to Grant, "We are bombarded by news, social media, influencers, and extremist voices, much of it tailored to re-enforce specific and polarizing narratives rather than time-tested wisdom that might bind us together." His goal is to uncover and record cultural wisdom across our society by listening to the voices of silenced people.

Lichtman interviewed three residents from each community; The Legacy Midtown Park and The Legacy Willow Bend. He noted that regardless of who he spoke with, both conservative and reformed, many see Judaism as more than a religion, but as a group of people with a sense of community and historical affiliation. He noted one key takeaway; the core value of Judaism is to be kind to other people.

After leaving Dallas, Lichtman went to La Fayette, Louisiana as the next part of his listening tour which will be followed by a week in the Mississippi Delta. His goal for the journey is to discover how we can be human again with each other in a lot of diverse ways.

Also in February, Susan Bogan, Senior Living Consultant for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, visited both communities to introduce The Smell Test Challenge.  Emerging research indicates smell loss may be one of the most important indicators of risk of Parkinson's or Alzheimer's brain disease. Residents were asked to participate by taking a simple scratch-and-sniff test and upload their results to be analyzed by the clinical experts at the Foundation. According to Bogan, the smell tests are part of an important study because monitoring your sense of smell could give you important information on your brain health as you age.  

Legacy residents were excited to learn about the process and participate in the testing. "I was truly impressed with the Legacy communities," said Bogan. "As soon as I started talking about the research and the process, they lit up and responded with a "How can I help?"

It's not too late to participate in the Smell Test Challenge. The Foundation is calling on anyone over 60, without a Parkinson's diagnosis to contribute by going to mysmelltest.org/legacy and get your free scratch-and-sniff test today. Everyone who participates in The Smell Test Challenge is contributing to our larger mission of ending Parkinson's disease, and we're grateful for anyone who make the effort to help.

ABOUT THE LEGACY SENIOR COMMUNITIES

The Legacy Senior Communities Inc. is the parent company of The Legacy Willow Bend (a life care community), The Legacy at Home (Hospice, Personal Assistance Services and Home Health Care Services), and The Legacy Midtown Park (luxury rental senior living in Dallas). The Legacy Senior Communities is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to providing a wide range of services to seniors. Although the services and communities of The Legacy are Jewish-sponsored, they honor and welcome all faiths.

The Legacy Senior Communities
Corporate Offices
8240 Manderville Lane
Dallas, TX 75231

Contact: Alyssa Adam
Phone: 972-837-3177
[email protected]
WWW.thelegacysc.org

SOURCE Legacy Senior Communities