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.

Encourage, Encourage, Encourage

I spoke to a woman today that is married to a man with Aphasia. She had purchased a set of my aphasia therapy dvd's and wanted to return the dvd's. I have a money back guarantee so I didn't even ask why she was returning, but she volunteered the information.

She said her husband would not watch the video programs. I asked, "Did he not like them?". "No", she said, "he just wouldn't watch them.". It turns out that the husband refused to watch the programs. He had not even watched a minute of one of the dvd's.

We sometimes forget that nobody enjoys doing something they are not good at. Do you like to experience frustrations and failures on a daily basis?

Therapy is not much fun for people with Aphasia. Therapy is hard work and progress comes very slowly. Therapy is small victories in the midst of countless challenges.

If you have a loved one with Aphasia, encourage them daily. Find concrete, noticeable things to complement. Make your encouraging words meaningful. Do everything you can to help them stay motivated to keep making progress.

I encourage you to be an encourager.

www.communicationpartner.com

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month. The National Aphasia Association has designated June as a time to highlight this language disorder faced by approximately 1 million Americans.

If you have found this article, you are probably very aware of the affects of Aphasia and do not need anyone to highlight this language disorder.

I work with Aphasic persons everyday. I know firsthand that Aphasia affects the communication and not the intellect of the person suffering from Aphasia.

Please help me this month to inform the American public of what Aphasia is and is not.

Please tell people that Aphasia affects about 1 million Americans. Anyone can experience aphasia. Aphasia cannot be prevented. Currently, there is no 'cure' for Aphasia. Speech therapy can help, but the therapy does not guarantee a cure.

Most importantly, tell the public that persons suffering from Aphasia are Okay. Please tell people to allow a little more time to speak to persons with Aphasia.

Ask people to talk to Aphasic persons as much as they can. If this would happen, June would be a happier month for everyone. Happy June!

Kimberly Robbins, MS CCC-SLP,
http://www.communicationpartner.com/

Tips for Communicating with a Person with Aphasia

When your loved one is finally home again, you may need help in communicating with them. I know you have probably heard this a thousand times, but Aphasia does not affect intellect. Your loved one is the same person. They are just challenged when trying to express themselves.

Here are a few tips that may help you communicate easier:

• Minimize distractions as much as possible. Don't try to talk over a blaring television. Don't try to have a conversation in a room full of people when hearing or concentrating may be a challenge.
• Encourage any and all types of communication. Whether the communication is speaking, gestures, pointing, grunting, etc., let the person communicate. Be ready to adapt to their needs at the moment.
• Be generous with your praise. Let the person know they are doing a good job and that you understand them. Avoid the urge to correct their speech.
• Include the Aphasic person in your conversation. If the person has expressive aphasia, they understand every word you speak. Do not ignore them - include them. Let them know you want to communicate.
• Allow the individual extra time to talk. An individual with Aphasia may need 2 to 3 times as long to communicate. Give them time. Let them finish.

These are simple techniques, but so easy to forget. Practicing these simple techniques can make a huge difference in the life of a person recovering from Aphasia.

How much Therapy is needed to Recover?

How much speech therapy is needed to recover from Aphasia? That is the magic question.

Of course, each individual is different and rates of recovery will always vary. But in my experience talking to individuals across the country, few people are getting more than an hour or two of therapy per week. In most cases, that is just not enough therapy.

So, how much is enough?

• Some researchers say that an Aphasic person should receive at least 9 hours of therapy per week until 'fully' recovered.
• Some researchers propose short bursts of intense therapy such as 3 hours of language training per day for 10 day sessions. In short, no conclusive answer exists.

Aphasia survivors and caregivers need to realize a couple of realities. These cold realities can be hard to accept.

• First, progress can and does happen after the first six months. No matter what anyone may tell you, progress can be made even years after a stroke or brain injury.


• Secondly, progress depends on you. Healthcare providers can only assist and encourage you. They are not responsible for recovery. You are.

I still haven't answered the title question. I know each of us wants a concrete answer. But, I would say that you need enough therapy to get you back to a level of functionality that enables you to enjoy life.

Preventing another Stroke

Did you know that if you have had a stroke, your chances of suffering a second stroke are greatly increased? Most survivors have been made aware of this increased risk during the recovery process. Actually, your likelihood of experiencing another stroke is 9 times greater than the average person's risk.


Having said all of that, I recently read an alarming report. The report said that about 30% of stroke survivors are not taking necessary actions to prevent another stroke. They are basically living the same way they lived prior to their stroke.

Are you kidding me?

If I know my risk is greater and I know ways to possibly prevent another stroke, why not do it? As you know stroke is a life changer.

Just in case you don't know the ways you can live to prevent another stroke, here they are:

• Control your blood pressure. Monitor it and take steps to control it.
• Quit smoking.
• Reduce sodium (salt) in your diet. Check food packages for sodium content.
• Start exercising. Walk, run, swim, get moving.
• Keep your alcohol intake to a minimum.
• Eat a low fat, low cholestrol diet. You may need to get educated on how to do this, but do it.

There are more ways that will help prevent another stroke, but these are the big ones.

Again, you may want to check out http://www.stroke.org/ or http://www.strokesmart.org/ for more ideas. These are two great magazines that can help.

Aphasia Isolates People

According to a 2004 survey conducted by the National Aphasia Association (http://www.aphasia.org/), people with Aphasia feel isolated and therefore isolate themselves from others.


The survey respondents said the following:

95% said people with Aphasia tend to feel isolated because of their Aphasia
97% said people tend to avoid people with Aphasia all or some of the time
40% of people with Aphasia had no contact with others with Aphasia


If any of the above statements describe you or your loved one suffering from Aphasia, please realize that you are not alone.


The last statement regarding the 40% of people with Aphasia that have no contact with others suffering from Aphasia is most troubling to me. If you are a caregiver to someone with Aphasia, please, please try to get them to an Aphasia support group. If you live in a metro area, you can probably find a group. If you live in a less populated area, look online.


Go to the National Aphasia Association website (http://www.aphasia.org/) to find someone in your area to help.


Your goal as caregiver should be to re-integrate your loved one into our communication-filled society.


You will probably need to take 'baby steps', but you must take steps. As you know, trying new things can be awkward, intimidating, and stressful, but this process is vitally important to the recovery process of your loved one.



I wish you the very best in your efforts!


Visit my website, http://www.communicationpartner.com/, if you need more aphasia therapy for expressive aphasia. We produce aphasia therapy on DVDs for effective, easy to use therapy solutions.