This week we’re continuing our theme of stroke awareness and education.  Aphasia is a common effect of stroke that can last indefinitely.  It affects about one-third of all stroke survivors and wreaks havoc on the language centers of the brain.

The different types of aphasia are:

• Broca’s Aphasia (expressive) – the person knows what they want to say, but can’t find the words or is unable to verbalize them.
• Wernicke’s Aphasia (receptive) – the person cannot understand what is being said or control what they are saying.
• Global Aphasia – a combination of expressive and receptive aphasias that often leave the person completely unable to speak, name objects, repeat phrases, or follow commands.

Sounds scary, doesn’t it?  People with aphasia retain their intelligence but without the language abilities to express themselves or understand others.  It is like living in a foreign country where you have no command of the language!

Home Care can help support people suffering from aphasia.  We had a client in Arvada who had global aphasia, so it was very difficult to communicate.  However, because our caregivers were there every day (often twice a day!), they got to know her and could understand the few ways she had of communicating.  She was able to use body language to let us know when she was happy and content or when something was wrong that needed fixing.

If one of your loved ones has been struck with aphasia, here are some things you can do to support them:

• Always assume they can hear you!
• Check for understanding with yes/no questions.
• Establish a daily routine, including time to practice communication skills.
• Use short sentences and incorporate as many visual cues as possible.
• Help them cope with frustration and depression. These are common with aphasia.
• Be patient. Give them time to speak and communicate.  Ask them to show you what they mean rather than confining themselves to speech.

For additional resources and information, contact us here at Assisting Hands.  We can help!