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Aphasia any tips dealing with?

Posted , 5 users are following.

therese20488
therese20488

Does anyone live with someone who has aphasia? How hard is it to stop them getting frustrated and angry when they can't express what they are thinking to you? We found calm talking and explaining what is actually happening, that is that "he" is having trouble telling us what it is that he wants, and we are finding it hard to work it out, sometimes calms the whole situation down. We often guess what he wants to say but offer a choice of what we think it is and something else similar. Any tips gratefully accepted.

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Babaloo
    Babaloo therese20488

    Posted

    A friend of mine carries a notebook and pen so he can write down what he wants to say, also you can get a tablet and have the speech facility on it so that he could type in what he wants to say and the tablet will speak for him. I think that many words are included on the tablet so a basic conversation could be had if he is not into computers. :-) I don't know if all tablets can have this speech facility or not, some are quite cheap to buy now, but he had the Hudl from Tesco which is about £119, but some are around £50. Hope this helps :-)
    • therese20488
      therese20488 Babaloo

      Posted

      Thank you Babaloo, that would be good if Laurie could read and write, but since his acquired brain injury he can't do either. He can't even point to the picture of a cat when he has a choice of two animals. If we say. "Is that a cat?" He will say yes, but if we say "is that a dog?" He might say yes as well or "maybe". We have to be very patient.
  • csimer
    csimer therese20488

    Posted

    I don't know if this helps, but I suffered a stroke in April.  I have some problems with speaking.  I was just evaluated and qualify for speech yesterday.  I can talk, but I have problems with either not remember a word, remebering a word and not being able to get it out, or my speech being forced out to where I get out of breath.

    If i speak slowly and deliberately, I can speak.  My thereapist said that my brain goes slower now and I have to speak slower to match it.  she was correct and it works.  If I try to speak normally, it doesn't sound correct. 

    I hope this helps.

  • ZoeRPM
    ZoeRPM therese20488

    Posted

    Does he have full use of his hands and arms? If so, perhaps the two of you could enrol for BSL classes (and encourage others in the family to do so). Some people find signing easier than speaking as the two are controlled by adjacent areas of the brain.
  • Big_Metal
    Big_Metal therese20488

    Posted

    Hi. I speak from 1st hand experienc. I lost all my words and some of my logic. I can speak now. I volunteer with head injuries. So I meet a lot of aphasic persons. Always remember "Aphasia is a communication issue and not intelligence". Do not rush someone. Do one word or idea at a time. Do not rush to second guess his replies. One word at a time. If you both get frustrated, just say we will work on that another time. Be methodical. And remember, getting aphasia or any head injury is like being in a car accident, but there is no car. There are some emotions like have to play out. You are special fir that person to take the time and patience. Show it and that person will confirm it. One step at a time.
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