The impact of LEGO on Brian’s rehabilitation

At Brainkind, we provide compassionate, person-centred care to people with acquired brain injuries and complex neurological needs.

Our teams go above and beyond to personalise the care they deliver, ensuring that life after a brain injury can be a life well-lived, whatever that means to each person we support.

For instance, at one of our supported living services in Yorkshire, Community Support Worker, Tracy, has been supporting Brian through his rehabilitation by helping him complete intricate, large-scale LEGO projects.

We chatted to Brian to learn more about his love of LEGO and to understand how this activity is helping his recovery.

What do you enjoy most about building LEGO creations?

Brian and Tracy both commented how LEGO is a fun hobby that Brian enjoys. It not only challenges his problem-solving skills but also helps him feel part of the community.

Often, he’ll be down in the communal area building the creations with Tracy. This means he’s out and about whilst working on a fun, creative project.

“Brian’s always enjoyed it. He’s got numerous models, like a building site that’s being built, dinosaurs, cars… anything, really! Anything and everything,” Tracy said.

“I sit with Brian at the table and it stops him from being isolated. I guide Brian, but he actually builds everything himself.”

Which one of your creations are you most proud of?

Brian’s got a lot of different models. But the one he’s most proud of is a castle.

Brian said, “Neuschwanstein Castle, it’s a German castle that’s got 3,000 pieces.”

How did you get into building LEGO creations?

Brian reflected on his childhood and how spending time building models with his dad formed some of his interests today.

Brian said, “When I was younger, I used to build a lot of air-fix type models when I lived in Glasgow and my dad was still alive.

“We had a spare room in the house, and he was going to transform that area so it had a modelling section for me for all my glues and tools and paint all that.

“He was going to transform that section for me because my dad was a builder, a marine engineer. When he was younger, he built his own yacht – a 26-foot wooden yacht.”

Brian reflected on some of his earlier models, including an oil rig-type model that he built.

Is there a LEGO creation that you’d really love to build?

Brian’s built some incredible projects over the years. But there’s one that he’s very keen to make, and that’s the Sydney Opera House.

Right now, with the support of Tracy, Brian told us he’s four weeks into building the 6,000-piece Lord of the Rings Rivendell set.

To help him finish the project and work through the instructions, Brian told us that he likes to separate the pieces into groups so that he can keep track of them all.

We loved chatting to Brian and Tracy to learn more about how LEGO helps Brian learn new skills to support his rehabilitation.

At Brainkind, we’re dedicated to helping people with neurological conditions or brain injuries have a life well lived – whatever that means to them.

If you’d like to find out more about our person-centred neurorehabilitation model, or to refer someone to one of our services, click here.