patient education : 16056--Aphasia: General Information for Patients and Families

APHASIA: GENERAL INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES

Aphasia: is defined as a language disorder that usually results from damage to the left side or hemisphere of the brain. Depending on what area of the brain has been damaged, there may be differences in the type of aphasia. Aphasia usually occurs suddenly, with a stroke or brain injury, but can occur slowly, in the case of a brain tumor. Some people with aphasia have difficulty with expression of language (expressive aphasia), some have difficulties understanding language (receptive aphasia) and others have difficulties with both areas (global aphasia). Aphasia can also cause difficulties with reading and writing. It is estimated that about 1 million people in the United States have aphasia.

Things to Remember about Aphasia:

• Aphasia does not impair the intelligence of the person, only the understanding and expression of their language.
• The person with aphasia can usually recognize familiar faces, intonation of language (anger, questions), and non-language based tasks.
• Aphasia may be very frustrating for the person, do whatever you can to reduce the amount of frustration and try to create a calm environment for communication.

Tips for Communication:

• Try to communicate in a quiet environment with no distractions (turn off the TV, radio, and limit the number of people talking at one time).
• Do not use baby talk, talk to the person in a normal tone, loudness, and intonation.
• Use shorter, simple statements and questions, rephrase if the person does not understand.
• You can pause often when talking, giving the person time to understand and respond.
• Use other forms of communication to reinforce your words (i.e., gestures, facial expressions, pointing, written words, and pictures).
• Accept any form of communication from the person with aphasia.
• When asking a question to the person you can use YES and NO questions, give them choices, or use pictures to reinforce your words.

Therapy for Aphasia:

A Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) will treat the person with aphasia. In the hospital, s/he may have an evaluation of his/her language and/or it may be recommended that s/he receive therapy from a facility outside of the hospital. If you have any questions about the person’s language/aphasia while you are in the hospital ask your nurse or doctor to contact your SLP.

Speech Language Pathologist: _____________________________ PIC: ____________

Information for this handout was gathered from www.asha.org and www.strokeassociation.org