June is Aphasia Awareness Month and we’ve been highlighting information about aphasia over on our Instagram page all month long. If you are unfamiliar with what aphasia is, take a read through Katherine’s blog post from last year that provides great detail about what aphasia is, how it arises and what you can do if you or a loved one has aphasia.
Trouble finding the words
One of the hallmarks of aphasia is difficulty with word retrieval, also referred to as anomia. Word retrieval can be impaired to differing degrees, but any difficulty with finding your words and getting your thoughts out can have a significant impact on your overall communication. For some ideas on how to help improve word retrieval, have a read through this previous post about compensatory strategies for word finding. Having trouble communicating can lead to social isolation, as engaging in conversation can be quite challenging. One of the most important things we can do as SLPs working with clients with aphasia is to provide resources for support. These resources can range from support groups to communication groups to sources for continued education.
Aphasia Resources
Here is a list of a few places to get started if you’re looking for support for living with aphasia:
- The National Aphasia Association – Provides education, a directory of speech-language pathologists, a calendar of virtual events, and much more.
- Graduate school programs that offer a degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders often have aphasia centers, where graduate students provide therapy at low cost to the client. One example is the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston (our alma mater!). You can search graduate programs in your area to find schools near you.
- Aphasia Recovery Connection – a non-profit organization whose goal is to end the isolation of aphasia. They offer Facebook groups to help connect those living with aphasia and many more opportunities for engagement and support.
- Aphasia Software Finder is a website run by the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia and is a compilation of information about apps and software for those living with aphasia.
These are just a few of the wonderful resources out there for those living with aphasia, their loved ones and professionals who work with aphasia. If you have any questions about aphasia or any of the information above, please feel free to reach out. We have been working with the aphasia community since 2011 and we are passionate about providing support for those living with aphasia.