The Blog

The 2023 CHAT in the Park fundraiser was a great success!

“ What advice would you give to someone who has just been diagnosed with aphasia ?”  At a Let’s CHAT session this spring, C.H.A.T. Society members explored this question .

Research article summary: Kjellén, E., Laakso, K., & Henriksson, I. (2017). Aphasia and literacy-the insider's perspective. International journal of language & communication disorders , 52 (5), 573–584. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12302

The following post summarizes the research article by Klein and Micic (2014).

This June, Debbie shares her experience with aphasia.  It's Aphasia Awareness Month!

Learn more about getting involved in aphasia research studies.

November 5, 2007, started like every morning – woke up, got ready for work, packed a lunch, and said “see you later turkey” to my youngest daughter, Heather. I remember I wasn’t feeling right the day before – but I brushed it off. I stopped at McDonalds for my usual coffee and muffin and drove to my job in Human Resources at CapitalCare. I drove in the parking lot, parked my car… And then it happened. I was found by a colleague laying in the parking lot and transported to the University Hospital. The next five days were spent in the emergency room, in and out of consciousness, with my family by my side. The first 24 hours the swelling in my brain was so vast the neurosurgeon had a team on standby to potentially remove a portion of my skull to give more room for my brain to swell. My family was told at this point, you should be preparing for the worst. But, thankfully, the swelling in my brain slowly started to decrease and I went through a series of medical tests such as MRI’s, EEG’s and assessed by multiple doctors. I started to regain consciousness for longer periods of time approximately five days after my stroke however I had suffered severe effects. I had no ability to speak, my right side was completely paralyzed, therefore I couldn’t walk or write. I remember being confused and my mind feeling cloudy - I couldn’t understand what happened to me, why was I here? Why can’t I do the things I normally can do? I was transferred to a ward on the 4th floor of the University of Alberta and stayed there for six weeks. One evening I started moving my foot back and forth on my own, once my brain caught up with my body on what was happening, I immediately stood up and took my first steps in nearly a week. It was so exciting to finally be able to use the bathroom ALONE! One of the protocols after a stroke is getting assessed by a Speech Pathologist to ensure I can safely chew and swallow solid food without choking or aspirating. Until you are cleared, you are placed on a pureed food meal plan and my first meal was a pureed egg salad sandwich. To make pureed sandwich more appealing (if a pureed sandwich could ever be appealing) is to puree the bread, the eggs and then shape the pureed food back into the form of a sandwich. To this day, my family still talks about that sandwich – all I remember is that I couldn’t wait to have some French fries! The six weeks I spent at the University Hospital continued with multiple medical assessments, physiotherapy and speech therapy. My family came everyday after work to visit and I had lots of friends visit me as well, I am very thankful for all my visitors as it was very boring at times. I was transferred to the Glenrose Hospital and was there for another 6 weeks. I underwent intense physiotherapy, I was able to walk but still had paralysis in my right arm. I also worked with Speech Language Pathologists on my speech as I still had not regained any of my ability to speak. When I had free time, I would walk through the tunnel from Glenrose Hospital to the Royal Alexandra Hospital and go to the Tim Horton’s in the cafeteria for a coffee – I’m pretty sure that wasn’t technically allowed to do! I also enjoyed meeting new patients and working with students. To be discharged from the Glenrose, I had to prove I could safely live a normal life at home. This includes making my own meals or doing regular daily tasks. You live in a mini condo that is in the Glenrose and therapists will monitor you through cameras and give you a pass/fail on the assessment. I am proud to say I passed with flying colors! After a very long 12 weeks, I was finally able to come home and I couldn’t wait to see my two cats, Snoopy & Marbles. I suffered a left middle cerebral artery cerebrovascular accident (CVA) involving the left frontal temporal & parietal lobes. I have Broca Aphasia and still have paralysis in my right arm. It is frustrating not being able to express what I’m thinking and putting it into words or have a coffee and conversation with a friend. Regardless of having aphasia, I live a normal life. I enjoy shopping at West Edmonton Mall, go to concerts with my daughter Heather, and play games at the lake with our neighbors. I want my story to educate others on aphasia and persons living with aphasia. Our intelligence is still intact – I can understand what you are saying, I just cannot respond quickly. Be patient, slow down and give me time to process and be able to respond which may not be through words but through other methods such as a speaking device or writing. I am so grateful I didn’t miss out on the special moments in life such as my daughter, Nancy, graduating from Law School and going to Disneyland as a family trip. I saw my other daughter, Heather, get married and as a surprise I went to extra speech classes and spent an entire summer practicing, and I gave a toast at the wedding (watch below!). I’m a person living with aphasia but I’m not letting it define me or stop me, I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me.

Before my aneurysm and the ensuing stroke, I was a linguist working as an occupational therapist, and volunteering with people who stutter. Communication was important to me, not only as a science, but also as an essential skill in my life. Then, March 20, 2020, hit. Hard. Now I'm officially a new member of The Chat Society! How I got here can be addressed in another blog (or two!), but I don't want to miss giving a nod to May as Better Speech and Hearing month and June as National Aphasia Awareness month. As someone affected with stroke-induced aphasia and some hearing issues, I say "Hats off!" to speech language and audiology health professionals. Communication remains ever important; however, I've learned about the importance of approaching communication from different ways than what I used before. The suggestions for communicating when speaking to someone with hearing loss are not hard to remember...they are basically the same as when speaking to someone with aphasia! My audiologist (Natalie Roy) provided me with this list. Does anything look familiar? (For full explanations of points, see here.) Communication Suggestions When Speaking to Someone with Hearing Loss Get the listener's attention first before you speak. Speak clearly and decrease your speech to a slow-normal rate to allow the listener to "catch up." Do not shout. Do obstruct your face. [Editor's note: Face masks make life interesting, no?] Rephrase rather than offer a repetition. Avoid conversation if the television or radio is playing, the dishwasher is running, and so on. Alert the person with the hearing loss if the topic of conversation is changing. Talk to hard-of-hearing people, not about them. Remain patient, positive, and relaxed. Communication Suggestions for Those with Hearing Loss Minimize noise distractions. Strive for a clear view of the speaker's face. Do not say, "Huh?" or "What?" Limit interruptions. Provide feedback. Plan ahead. Set realistic goals. Write out important information. Do not bluff! **** Communication obstacles are obviously similar for people with hearing loss and speech conditions, aphasia being one such condition. It is, however, important to learn these points, exercise what you can, and share with others! Remember, even when we don't agree with someone else's point of view, they are entitled to it--and that makes it important! Our speech and our hearing are two gifts that we can appreciate; we must respect people who must, or choose to, speak or listen in ways different from our own. Check out the literature from the Audiology Clinic of Northern Alberta: suggestions, guidelines for speaking clearly, and ideas to use when dining out. (Courtesy of Natalie Roy, Audiology Clinic of Northern Alberta.)

To get involved with CHAT Society, visit the "Get Involved" page of our website. We look forward to meeting you!