Aphasia: Beyond Words  (Advance October 16, 2005)

Aphasia is a language difficulty, most often caused by a stroke or other injury to the brain.  People with aphasia may have trouble speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the speech of others.  Aphasia can be very distressing and frustrating for a stroke survivor.  After a stroke, survivors need to communicate with loved ones, friends, caregivers, and the members of their stroke team (doctors, nurses and therapists).  Stroke survivors with aphasia may be unable to convey their thoughts, their feelings, and their fears.  They may have difficulty understanding what is being said to them.

If you have a loved one or friend who is a stroke survivor with aphasia, it can be challenging to keep the lines of communication open.  Communication is made up of several parts or activities.  Speech refers to the muscles you use to make the sounds that make up words.  Language refers to your “dictionary” of words and the rules for combining words into sentences.  This “dictionary” is located in your brain.  Aphasia occurs when a stroke or injury has affected the part of the brain that holds the language “dictionary”.

As a rule, people with aphasia are able to think clearly.  They know what they want to say, but have trouble communicating their thoughts and ideas.  Others may have trouble understanding them.  Aphasia can put up barriers to a person’s social life, affect personal relationships, and the ability to participate in family and community life.  Many people with aphasia find it difficult to carry on conversations.  Things that used to be easy, such as a casual chat with the neighbours, discussion of the day’s work with their spouse, or reading a bedtime story to their children or grandchildren, may become difficult or even impossible.  People with aphasia and their close family members can feel sad, isolated and lonely.

There are different types of aphasia depending on which area of the brain is damaged.  Aphasia can range from very severe (unable to speak at all) to very mild (having trouble finding the right words) and from being a temporary condition to being a permanent language problem.  Speech therapy and hard work can help most stroke survivors improve their ability to communicate.  People with aphasia and their family members can learn techniques to make communicating easier, improve their coping skills, and restore their confidence.

Early intervention is very important.  The sooner a stroke survivor starts speech therapy, the better the chances of recovery.  As the wife of one stroke survivor with aphasia explained: “The more of the brain that is used, the more that can be used.  An environment enriched with words, music and activity may stimulate the brain to build new pathways.  In addition to the actual work done by the therapists, there is a psychological component that is extremely important.  My husband immediately sensed that he hadn’t been abandoned.”

Seek out a support network.  Surrounding stroke survivors with supportive people who can guide them along the road to recovery can be enormously helpful.  It is also helpful for caregivers and loved ones to connect with others facing the same and to realize that you are not alone.  One good way to do this is to join programs that are offered especially for people with aphasia and their caregivers.  (Adapted from a publication of the Heart and Stroke Foundation)

A new support group for people with aphasia and their family begins on Thursday October 20 2005 at The Pines Long-Term Care Residence, Bracebridge.  Enjoy activities and the fellowship of others.  For information please contact Sara at 645-4488 at The Pines or Karen at 646-7677.
 

Caregiver Meetings: