Imagine suddenly not being able to speak - no longer being able to order a cup of coffee, or talk to a friend. After Rosemary Jacobsen suffered a stroke in 2007, this became her reality. As a result of her stroke, Jacobsen, a former dietary technologist and mother of two, has aphasia - a brain disorder that makes speaking difficult.
"She can't put words together to communicate what she understands in her head. That process is hard for her," says Rosemary's husband Jan Jacobsen. "It's difficult to understand the needs and wants that she is trying to express."
Aphasia does not affect a person's intelligence but prevents them from effectively expressing themselves and understanding others verbally and in written form. It is typically caused by a stroke, head injury or dementia. Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine students and staff at the University of Alberta's Corbett Clinic use speech-language treatment to work with patients like Rosemary to help them regain their voice.
"Rosemary has been in several different speech therapy environments. We find that the researchers at Corbett Clinic continue to be innovative and try to find new ways for Rosemary to formulate her thoughts," says Jan. "Different students have different approaches. That seems to be refreshing for her and helps to broaden her approach to communication."
Esther Kim, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine and member of the Aphasia Awareness Committee of Alberta, is currently conducting aphasia treatment research with Rosemary.
"Rosemary is extremely motivated and a great example of someone who is a good communicator, despite having limited speech capabilities," says Kim. "Ultimately we want to be able to match the right type of speech/language treatment to the right kind of individual. The research that Rosemary is involved in will help us get there."
Kim uses reading exercises to measure improvements in Rosemary's reading comprehension and speech production. By doing an in-depth analysis of Rosemary's language abilities and examining what her brain looks like (through structural MRI), Kim can determine which treatment strategies are most effective for someone with her language profile.
Dwight Deacon also suffers from aphasia. Deacon has been attending the Corbett Clinic for almost four years. He credits the students and clinical educators at Corbett Clinic with helping him to communicate comfortably again.
"A lot of things you take for granted-for example, at the beginning even little words like 'around', 'under'," says Deacon, who is consistently improving his speech each day. "One of the things I came here at Corbett Clinic, is to help me words, they help me. Before I was embarrassed but that's gone now. I'm not embarrassed anymore, I think life goes on, back continue life."
The clinic serves nearly 100 clients from the community each year. The clinic provides a number of different learning opportunities, including providing individual and group services throughout the students' clinical experiences. The collaborative learning teams used at Corbett Clinic result in both outstanding client service and clinical development for the students.
Speech-language pathology student Jennifer Amy has recently started working with Deacon.
"Corbett Clinic allows us to work with a team of very talented clinicians," says Amy. "Together we learn how to provide the best possible services to our clients. We are confident that Dwight will continue to show improvements."
According to the Aphasia Awareness Committee, approximately 100,000 Canadians are currently living with this invisible disability. That number will increase significantly as Canada's population ages. The Aphasia Awareness Committee hopes to help the public understand this invisible disability, recognize when a person has aphasia, and feel comfortable communicating with them.
Here are five simple strategies people can use to make communication easier for people with aphasia:
Slow Down. Slow down your speech rate slightly and pause between phrases. Give them time to speak.
Acknowledge intelligence. Aphasia is a loss of language, not intelligence. It might help to say, "I know you know".
Be a respectful communication partner. Avoid shouting. Avoid baby talk. Avoid talking about the person in their presence. Don't avoid adult topics.
Be open to different ways of communicating. Use and encourage gestures, drawing, writing and facial expressions.
Check for understanding. Make sure you understand their message. Verify that they have understood your message. Ask yes/no questions to clarify.
June is Aphasia Awareness month. On Sunday June 5th, the Stroke Recovery Association of Edmonton and Aphasia Awareness Committee hosted a picnic and "Eat, Seek and Speak for Aphasia Challenge" in William Hawrelak Park to build stroke and aphasia awareness.
About the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
As the only free standing faculty of rehabilitation in Canada, the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine balances its activities among learning, discovery and citizenship (including clinical practice). A research leader in musculoskeletal health, spinal cord injuries and common spinal disorders (back pain), the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine aims to improve the quality of life of citizens in our community. The three departments, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT) and Speech Pathology and Audiology (SPA) offer professional entry programs. The Faculty offers thesis-based MSc and PhD programs in Rehabilitation Science, attracting students from a variety of disciplines including OT, PT, SLP, psychology, physical education, medicine and engineering.