My brother-in-law, who is in his early 60s, suddenly felt weakness of his right side of the body along with slurring of speech. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital and medical treatment was given, as he had developed brain stroke. By God’s grace, he recovered, he is now able to walk with support but his hand is still not working. We are also unable to understand what he is saying as he is not able to speak in sentences and most of time, he is pointing using his left hand. The doctors referred us to a speech therapist. She conducted some tests and said he has aphasia and needs to attend speech therapy for recovery of his speech...”
Caretaker of the stroke survivor:
Did you know that June 2020 is Aphasia Awareness Month. Many of you must have come across such a situation in your lives. Brain stroke is the second most common cause of death in the world(WHO report,2016). In the Indian context, the estimated adjusted prevalence rate of stroke range is, 84-262/100,000 in rural and 334-424/100,000 in urban areas. The incidence rate is 119-145/100,000 based on the recent population-based studies. Aphasia persists as a disability in 21%–38% of stroke survivors. The number of persons with aphasia (PWA) in our country is likely to be around two million. So, let us know what is ‘aphasia’.
The Telangana Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists Association (TASLPA) are working in creating awareness of aphasia, which when identified and treated early can help in good recovery. Each year TASLPA conducts different awareness programs, and this year due to the existing Covid-19 conditions in India, our aim is to reach the unreached through ‘Aphasia Telerehab.’ TASLPA requests needy patients can call 9347696528 to know more about aphasia (or log in to www.taslpa.com.)
Aphasia - communication disorder:
Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder due to brain damage that impairs a person’s ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence. Aphasia impairs the ability to speak and understand others. Most of the PWA also experience difficulty reading and writing. There are many types of Aphasias. Some people have difficulty speaking while others may struggle to follow a conversation. In some people, aphasia is fairly mild and you might not notice it right away. In other cases, it can be very severe, affecting speaking, writing, reading, and listening. While specific symptoms can vary greatly, what all people with aphasia have in common are difficulties in communicating.
Recovery time:
If the symptoms of aphasia last longer than two months after a stroke, a complete recovery is unlikely. However, it is important to note that some people continue to improve over a period of years and even decades. Improvement is a slow process that usually involves both helping the individual and family understand the nature of aphasia.Contacting a Speech Therapist is crucial in the recovery of speech and communication.
Speech recovery:
Speech Therapists are trained Allied Health Care Professionals. They deal with identification, diagnosis, prognosis and planning of speech therapy, using appropriate clinical tools, in management of aphasia. They use certain techniques in recovering the speech and language in a PWA, they also provide compensatory learning strategies for communicating. The speech therapists may choose to deliver their services either on person to person bases or through Tele-rehab.
Tele-Rehab for remote places:
Just like we have telemedicine to reach people in remote areas where specialised doctors are not available, Tele-rehabilitation are facilities provided through e-services. PWA can be tested and given advice by the speech therapist from their own locations using e-resources. This will not only help in dealing with the communication problems of PWA but also improve the quality of life of that individual as a whole.
Communication:
Remember the diagnosis of aphasia does not imply a person has a mental illness or impairment in intelligence.Thestroke survivor can hear (Check understanding with yes/no questions), so, don’t speak loudly. Use sentences that are short and to the point. Keep the noise level down and stand where the survivor can see you.Remember to treat the stroke survivor as an adult and let him or her share in decision-making. Help the stroke survivor cope with feelings of frustration and depression. Above all, be patient with the person with aphasia. Give them the time they need to try to speak and get their point across to you. This not only respects their dignity, but makes it less stressful for them when communicating.
June 2020 is Aphasia Awareness Month. A lesser-known disorder, this acquired communication disorder that occurs due to brain damage is what The Telangana Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists Association (TASLPA) are working on. to create awareness and facilitate tele-rehabilitation
(The doctor is President, TASLPA - Telangana Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists Association)