Aphasia is a language or communication disorder that is a result of damage to parts of the brain responsible for language. Aphasia can occur suddenly following a stroke or head injury, or it can develop slowly as the result of a brain tumour, dementia or a progressive disease of the brain.

Aphasia involves the impairment of the ability to use or understand words. It can cause difficulty with finding words to express oneself as well as difficulty with reading or writing words and sentences. Aphasia alone does not affect intelligence, but an associated cause or condition such as dementia may have an effect on cognitive abilities.

The most common cause of aphasia is a stroke. It is estimated that over a third of individuals who suffer a stroke will have some degree of aphasia. The presence of aphasia has been associated with a poorer response to stroke rehabilitation and an increased risk of mortality. Most individuals who still have moderate or severe aphasia six months after having a stroke will continue to live with some degree of aphasia.

Aphasia impacts every part of a person’s life. Individuals with aphasia know more than they can say. Because of the difficulty with expression and comprehension of language and the decreased ability to take part in interactive conversations, aphasia can:

• Mask a person’s ability to participate in making their own decisions
• Affect a person’s ability to communicate their needs, feelings or emotions
• Lead to a loss of self-esteem
• Affect a person’s relationships and life role
• Cause social isolation
• Cause barriers to accessing services and care

Videos and other resources: 

What is Aphasia? – National Aphasia Association

Primary Progressive Aphasia

Primary Progressive Aphasia

Types of Aphasia – American Stroke Association
https://www.strokeassociation.org/en/about-stroke/effects-of-stroke/cognitive-and-communication-effects-of-stroke/types-of-aphasia

How can I communicate with a person who has aphasia? Aphasia Institute FAQ’s:

https://www.aphasia.ca/home-page/about-aphasia/

ParticiPics:

• A free, searchable database of pictographic images developed by the Aphasia Institute
• Designed to facilitate life’s conversations
• Specially designed for communicating with people with aphasia
• Product of decades of research and experience with people in the aphasia and stroke communities
https://www.participics.ca/

What is Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA™)? plus eLearning Module

Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA™)

• Developed by the Aphasia Institute in Toronto Ontario
• Is not speech therapy
• A communication approach that is taught to communication partners of individuals with aphasia which includes their caregivers and healthcare providers
• Does not focus on the spoken word, but on training the individuals in the person’s environment how to communicate differently or to ‘support’ their communication.
• Developed to reduce the effect of aphasia and increase access to healthcare and community resources

Westman Aphasia Inc. is currently the only organization in Manitoba offering formal training in SCA™ to healthcare providers.