Two Great Magazines for Stroke Survivors

Please forgirve me if I insult your intelligence by stating the obvious, but I want to tell you about two great magazines for Stroke Survivors. 

Stroke Smart is a great magazine published by the National Stroke Associaton.  The subscription is a free one for United States residents.  Simply go to http://www.strokesmart.org/ and click on Subscribe. 

Stroke Connection is another great magazine published by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.  Again, the subscription is free.  Go to http://www.strokeassociation.org/ and follow the instructions on how to Subscribe. 

Both magazines are filled with stroke survivor stories, tips for caregivers, product introductions, etc.  I find them to be very informative and helpful to stroke survivors and families.

I hope you find this helpful. 

Be Patient - Don't Frustrate the Person with Aphasia

Last week, I spoke to a woman with an adult son suffering from Aphasia.  He had a stroke about a year ago and had been living again with her and his father while continuing his recovery. 

The lady told me that her son wanted to move out because he couldn't stand to around her husband anymore.  The father frustrates the son on a daily basis by being impatient.  He won't let the son talk.  He tries (unsuccessfully, apparently) to finish the son's sentences.  The son just wants to recover.  He doesn't want therapy at home from his dad.

As a therapist, I hear similar stories more than I like.  If you want to support a person suffering from Aphasia, Let them talk.  I will repeat that, "Let them talk".  I know it sometimes takes a long time.  To be honest, sometimes it seems like it will take an eternity if you let the person finish a sentence. 

Be supportive.  Be attentive.  Learn to be a good listener.   Let them finish.  Don't frustrate them by trying to guess what they want to say.  Don't finish sentences for them.  Relax and listen.

We all want to communicate.  We all want to share and be heard.  Sometimes, the toughest thing a caregiver can do is Nothing. 

Listen more and you will be an even stronger support to your loved one with aphasia. 

Resources to Help Find a Support Group close to You

Many times help is closer than you may think.  If you are looking for an Aphasia Support Group and don't know where to find one I have a couple of suggestions.

Go to http://www.aphasia.org/aphasia_community/aphasia_community_groups.html.  This link is posted on the National Aphasia Associaton's website.  Look for your state and see if a chapter exists close to where you may live. 

Another idea is to visit http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=support_groups.  This link is for Stroke Support Groups which is different than an Aphasia support group.  But you may find these helpful as well. 

Local support groups are great.  I visit several in my local area throughout the year and they are great for survivors and caregivers.  Check them out. 

Persistence Pays

Persistence pays off when it comes to Aphasia Therapy.  I know that sounds like such a cliche, but the fact is true. 

Tonight, I spoke to a woman who had bought Communication Partner's Level 1 DVDs for her son.  She called to order the Level 2 programs.  Her son has been watching the video programs everyday for the last 3 months and has seen some real progress in his aphasia recovery. 

Quite frankly, I would have a hard time watching those DVDs everyday and I created them.  Therapy is hard work and requires persistence and perserverance.  This man has seen benefits slowly over the course of time by doing simple (perhaps boring) tasks on a daily basis.

If you or a loved one are trying to recover from Aphasia, be persistent.  Progress takes time.  If you can encourage someone with aphasia, do it.  Therapy is tough.  Encouragement always helps. 

For more information on Communication Partner's DVDs, go to http://www.communicationpartner.com/.  These programs have helped people all over the world. 

Maintenance is Required

In today's disposable society, few people like to talk about maintenance. In a disposable world replacing things is easier than taking the time and spending the money to maintain them.

But some things in life are too important not to maintain.

If you are helping a person recovering from stroke or brain injury you need to realize that maintanence is required and vital to maximize recovery.

What do I mean?

After the chaos has ended and the reality of a different life has become common, holding on to who we are and what we do is important.  As part of the recovery process (whether speech, physical or occupational therapies) incorporate things that were important to the person before the stroke. 

I suggest bringing in photos, personal items, or other items of significance that can be used during the recovery process and will 'remind' the person of who they were and what they did prior to their current condition.

Maintenance of one's self will be required in order to get back to who and what a person was prior to their life changing event. 

These are my thoughts and suggestions.  Let me know what you think or if you have any comments. 

The Need for Stimulation

Yesterday I spoke to a woman regarding her mother in law. The family thought that the mother had recovered as much as she could and yet she was still unable to say single words.

The mother in law was no longer receiving any speech therapy, due to insurance limitations. The mother in law was fully aware of what was being said to her, but she could not respond with words - this is expressive aphasia. It seems that most of the family is okay with this situation.

The woman I spoke to wanted to do more for her mother in law, but was confused on what options were available.

There are many options available. My first suggestion was to find an Aphasia Support Group.

Other suggestions would be to find some Aphasia Therapy on video (see my site at http://www.communicationpartner.com/) or on software packages ( see http://www.parrotsoftware.com/ or http://www.bungalowsoftware.com/). Find some photos of family members and practice saying names. Find photos of well known places or things and help practice saying those words.

I think the most important thing is to provide Stimulation. Recovery is not static. Recovery is either moving forward or back, but it never stands still.

Let me know if you have other suggestions.

How long does Recovery Take?

Last Friday I spoke at a Stroke Survivor's Club meeting. I spoke about aphasia and other speech therapy related topics.

The talk went well and at the end I opened the floor for questions. One of my first questions was from a lady (sitting next to her daughter) who had suffered a stroke 1.5 years ago.

Her question was, "How long does it take to fully recover from a stroke?". I looked at her and her daughter and said you both know the answer. I am sure you have heard it before.

The answer is - Recovery time is different for each individual.

No one and I mean no one can tell you how long recovery will take and to what extent full recovery can be achieved. The second part of that sentence is really important.

I spoke to someone yesterday who told me that a doctor had told them that their mother was too far post stroke to benefit from speech therapy. I disagree.

No one knows to what extent recovery can be made and no one knows how much time is required to achieve a full recovery.