- Stimulate communication skills
- Exercise cognitive skills
- Build self-esteem
- Rebuild social connections
- Aphasia is an acquired language disorder due to brain damage
- People with aphasia may have difficulty with language in all forms:
- understanding what others are saying
- putting their thoughts into words
- understanding what is read
- writing (with pen and paper and on the computer)
- Aphasia alone does not affect a person's intellect, memory, judgment, or problem-solving skills
- Aphasia can range from mild (sometimes difficulty thinking of a word) to severe (little to no ability to speak)
- All people with aphasia have some degree of difficulty recalling words
- This is like having that "tip of the tongue" feeling
- A person with aphasia may say one word but means to say something else
- People with aphasia notice that some things are very easy to say, while others are very hard
- The more the person has to think about what he/she is saying, the harder it will be.
- "Automatic" phrases are generally easier to say because they don't require much thought or are over-learned
- Some examples are phrases such as "good morning", "I don't know", "uh oh" and swear words
- writing (with pen and paper and on the computer)
- There are some words that are can be difficult for people with aphasia
- These words are often very close in meaning, opposites, or can seem to have abstract meaning.
- People with aphasia often mix them up or substitute one for another
- Some examples include: Man/Woman, Left/Right, Yes/No
We can be ePals, hike together, stop to smell the flowers, share adventures and jump for JOY!