Stroke/Apahsia Group

Stroke/Aphasia: Stroke of Hope Support Group, 9:30 a.m. second Tuesday, fellowship hall, Sebastian United Methodist Church, 1029 Main St., Sebastian; (772) 388-0582, (772) 713-3571, (772) 335-5320.

St. John’s Speech-Language Pathology Professor Launches Volunteer Program at St. Vincent’s Medical Center

September 11, 2007

As the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign heats up, several candidates are looking at the issue of health care, arguing that many Americans’ inadequate insurance coverage prevents them from seeking proper treatment. In the case of aphasia — an impairment of the ability to use or comprehend words, usually acquired as the result of a stroke or other brain injury — many of those afflicted are unable to access the clinical care and support they need.

This lack of access has motivated José Centeno, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Speech-Language Pathology and a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP), to take matters into his own hands: last year, he joined a small handful of other concerned SLPs and began offering pro bono clinical services for stroke survivors and their families at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, in Manhattan. Beginning September 17, Centeno, a leading expert in the effects of aphasia on bilingual individuals, and his colleagues will launch what is perhaps the country’s first volunteer program dedicated to Spanish-English bilingual aphasia patients. NEXT...............

Chance to help people affected by a stroke

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IF you have ever thought about putting your skills of compassion, listening and support to good use through volunteering, The Stroke Association is holding finding out sessions on Tuesday, October 2, in Driffield.

The event is intended for people interested in volunteering for their communication support service in East Yorkshire.

Volunteers are especially needed to provide home visits to people who have aphasia, a condition often caused by stroke which affects a person's ability to speak, understand, read and/or write.

Training is provided to enable volunteers to work with stroke survivors on all aspects of communication, with the aim of building up confidence and independence, and achieving the best possible recovery from stroke.

Local Therapy Group Aims to Help Those With Aphasia

Raleigh — Most people know what it's like to try to grasp for the right word but draw a blank.

For people with brain injury from stroke or other causes, it can happen all the time with almost every word. It's a communication disorder called Aphasia.

Special group therapy may help people with Aphasia to relearn ways to communicate, either through words, writing or gestures.

Among the members of a therapy group at WakeMed is a former N.C. State public speaking professor, a former truck driver and a beloved mother, Elizabeth Cox.

She described her story in halting speech, "I had a stroke, and thanks be to God, I survived."

Cox's stroke lead to Aphasia.

"If you have Aphasia, it's like having a file cabinet that has all of your information and your knowledge stored and it gets tipped upside down," said Maura Silverman, an Aphasia therapy specialist.

With Aphasia, the words are scrambled, but the intellect is intact, according to Silverman. That's what Cox's daughter, Julie Stickler, said she knew all along.

WakeMed and Triangle Aphasia Project Join Forces

RALEIGH, N.C. - WakeMed Health & Hospitals and the Triangle Aphasia Project (TAP) have joined forces to provide lifelong therapeutic support to patients through the Triangle Aphasia Project at WakeMed Rehab.

An estimated one million people in the United States have acquired aphasia - a communication disorder usually the result of a stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor or progressive neurological condition. This frustrating disorder may reduce a person's ability to understand written or spoken information and always affects their ability to find the words they want to say. Reading, writing, listening and speaking are so vital to our connections in the community and impairments like aphasia can be devastating to a person's self-confidence and willingness to participate in activities they enjoy.

For many years, the Triangle Aphasia Project operated as a community-based program to meet the needs of those with aphasia, offering a comprehensive range of support programs throughout Central North Carolina. As the number of individuals impacted by aphasia has grown, so has the need for additional services, financial support and resources.
"By welcoming the Triangle Aphasia Project into the WakeMed family, we are able to provide life-long therapeutic support well after insurance coverage is exhausted for patients and their families coping with Aphasia," commented Elaine Rohlik, executive director of the WakeMed Rehabilitation Hospital, the largest most comprehensive in-patient rehab hospital in the area. "We also are pleased to extend the continuum of care for our speech/language and brain injury patients."

The Triangle Aphasia Project at WakeMed Rehab is one of the few specialized aphasia programs in the country offering treatment groups, personalized home programs, family education and training and support. Collaborating with family and caregivers, the Triangle Aphasia Project at WakeMed Rehab works to remove barriers to information, recreation and vocational pursuits for the individual with aphasia.

Aphasia leaves them groping for words

BY ELLEN S. WILKOWE
DAILY RECORD
Tuesday, July 10, 2007

MORRISTOWN -- Donna Gabriel paints and plays piano. Give John Dingman a set of charcoal and he'll go to town on portraits, seascapes and landscapes. Sally Cullinane volunteers, and Alvin Kornfeld has nine grandchildren to keep him on his toes.

Every Monday, these people from different walks of life come together as a group for coffee, bagels and conversation -- all in the name of social support.

"Speaking is very important," said Cullinane, of Morris Plains. "Conversation is very important. We have to remind ourselves to talk to a lot of people and teach them about aphasia."

Cullinane is one of group of stroke survivors who are living with aphasia and learning to speak, read and write again.

She speaks slowly but determinedly and occasionally flails her hands in frustration when the words or thoughts get stuck.

She looks at speech pathologist Marilyn Certner-Smith, who encourages her to take her time.

"You're doing great," Roberta Ellert chimes in.

Dingman offers her a piece of paper and pencil -- sometimes spelling out what one can't say is easier.

The neurological disorder is caused by damage to the speech and language centers of the brain. One-third of aphasia cases result from a stroke. Others stem from brain tumor or head trauma.

"The intellect and ideas are preserved, and there is conceptual understanding of word language," Certner-Smith said.

Aphasia affects about 1 million people in the United States, with 80,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

Treatment involves language therapy and intensive rehabilitation with a speech pathologist in which patients read, write, follow directions and repeat what they hear.

The Living with Aphasia Community Group allows them to celebrate successes and overcome language obstacles with empathetic compassion.

Spearheaded by group facilitator and speech therapist Certner-Smith, the group formed more than two years ago and has a core attendance of five to six people who range in age from 57 to 65 years old.

The first hour is dedicated to a structured discussion and the second is for socializing.

"This is a psychological wellness group," Certner-Smith said. "No one knows what it feels like unless you've got it."

An animated dog barking "Meow!" on Ellert's T-shirt sums it up.

"For us this (T-shirt) tells the story," said Ellert, of Berkeley Heights. "Each one of us has a different difficulty of saying things."

Ellert, for example struggles with word substitution and occasionally she will speak certain words in French.

"I think I spoke French at some point," she said.

After their strokes, Ellert and Gabriel temporarily lost their long-term memory.

"For two whole years I couldn't remember," Gabriel said.

Many aphasia patients carry a card identifying the disorder and explanation of their symptoms.

Two-time stroke survivor Kornfeld, of Succasunna, produces a card that gets right to the point:

"I have aphasia.

"This means I have difficulty talking, reading and writing, particularly when under pressure.

"You can help

"By taking things slowly and giving me time.

"Thank you."

Meanwhile, Dingman hands out a card courtesy of the National Aphasia Foundation informing strangers of his condition.

"My mind works perfectly well, I just have difficulty communicating.

"How you can help:

"Speaking takes time.

"Speaking is very difficult.

"Comprehending speech is difficult.

"Use simple drawings.

"Writing key words helps.

"Numbers are difficult."

Cullinane wears a purple awareness bracelet engraved with "aphasia."

In order to further awareness, the Morristown group has teamed up with the National Aphasia Association on a campaign to create an aphasia postage stamp.

The condition has also gained national attention in the comic strip "For Better or For Worse."

In September 2006, the character Jim, the grandfather, acquired aphasia as a result of a stroke. The strip's author, Lynn Johnston, draws from her own life experiences.

Support group on launch pad

PEOPLE in the Driffield area who suffer from speech difficulties have been given the chance to join a new support group, which will be launched next week.

The Speakability group, which helps people with the condition aphasia, will hold its first meeting at The Lodge, Nafferton Slack, next Monday, June 18, between 1.30pm and 3pm.

Helen Bellis, senior group worker for the East Riding Social Services, said they aimed to work in partnership with other agencies to provide a wider service to the public. The condition, which has no known cure, can be brought about by strokes, head injuries or other neurological conditions.

It is thought that around a quarter of a million people have the condition in Britain.

More than 90 support groups are currently operating across the country, including groups in Hull and York.

Graham Johnson, of the charity’s self-help group development team, said: “It's a self-help group, so members decide what they want to do at each get-together. “They may arrange a visit or an outing, they may invite a speaker, they may just spend the time enjoying each other's company, having a laugh.”

The group, which is being organised in partnership with the Driffield Resource Centre, is open to anyone who has communication difficulties and their carers.

It is thought that meetings will be held once a fortnight at first.