10 Apr Enhancing Daily Life for Aphasia Patients
WHAT IS APHASIA?
Aphasia is a debilitating neurological condition that affects an individual’s ability to speak, comprehend, read, and write. The communication disorder is often a symptom of brain trauma caused by a head injury, stroke, tumor, Alzheimer’s Disease, or other neurodegenerative condition that affects the language control center of the brain. Symptoms of aphasia can vary, ranging from subtle nuances to a complete loss of verbal communication.
There are several different types of aphasia, including:
- Broca’s Aphasia: Affects speech, making it difficult to form complete sentences.
- Global Aphasia: Affects the language processing area of the brain, resulting in severe difficulty with communication and cognitive functions, such as memory.
- Wernicke’s Aphasia: Impacts language comprehension, resulting in fluent speech that is difficult to understand.
Each neurological condition is associated with unique symptoms, with the type and severity dependent upon the extent and location of the brain damage.
How Does Aphasia Affect Patients?
The inability to effectively communicate makes it difficult for a person to express themselves, often leaving them to feel misunderstood and isolated. Not having the capacity to understand written and verbal language can profoundly impact a person’s ability to perform daily tasks, making it challenging to interact with others.
The lasting effects on relationships, social interactions, mental health, and overall quality of life can result in emotional distress and frustration.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTION
Understanding the symptoms, type, and severity of a person’s condition is essential for developing effective aphasia care strategies that can include therapy and communication interventions to help enhance daily life for aphasia patients.
Caregiver Support for Aphasia Patients
Being patient and compassionate is key when offering caregiver support for aphasia. It is important to understand that when a person gets diagnosed with aphasia, their level of intelligence remains the same, and it is only their speech and language skills that are affected.
It is essential to listen and allow a person with aphasia to attempt to express themselves without feeling rushed, helping to relieve their anxiety and frustration levels. Someone with aphasia is still having clear thoughts; they are just having a hard time getting the words out.
At Adler Aphasia Center, we offer care member support groups to help family members and loved ones cope with the challenges of caring for a person with aphasia.
COMMUNICATING WITH APHASIA
Clear, concise sentences and simple language make it easier for a person with aphasia to process and respond to verbal cues, helping to enhance communication with others.
Adler speech therapists (SOPs) work with aphasia patients to improve their self-confidence by getting them to do things they used to do. Our entire team is dedicated to empowering individuals by helping them participate in the following activities:
- Group projects (move around, sing, improv)
- Therapy
- One-on-one computer sessions
- Interest-based groups to improve communication skills
- Wellness activities (yoga, gardening, exercise)
Aphasia Routine Tips for Communication
- Avoid the use of complex sentences
- Focus on one idea at a time to avoid confusion
- Use written words, pictures, or other visual aids
- Implement non-verbal communication (facial expressions, gestures, body language)
- Have an aphasia patient write thoughts on paper as they are speaking
CONTACT ADLER APHASIA CENTER TODAY
Everyone at Adler is passionate about building awareness about aphasia and helping patients struggling with communication live a productive daily life. We offer innovative solutions for aphasia care and provide compassionate caregiver support to meet our patients’ emerging needs.
Our Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA) is a first-of-its-kind full-service program currently offered in Maywood, Toms River, and West Orange, New Jersey.
Contact us today to learn how the innovative programs at Adler Aphasia Center can enrich the lives of people living with aphasia, along with their families and communities.
Image Credit: belushi