New group helps aphasia patients find their fun

Joe used to be the editor at Star Newspapers in Philadelphia. Each week, he was responsible for making sure the words in his papers — the Kensington Star, the Northern Liberties Star and the Fishtown Star — were correct.

But since Joe’s stroke, he has trouble with his own words because of a condition called aphasia, which makes it difficult for a person to say, process or recall language. The condition has left him unable to work, so he’s tried to find leisure activities in his community to help fill his free time. Still, he and many other aphasia patients in the same situation have reported feeling self-conscious, because often friends and neighbors can be impatient with the time it takes them to find the right words, or are frustrated with what looks like a lack of understanding. Next..