A Place to Communicate
- January 2003
The way we talk and our body language personifies who we are to the world. When that is taken away, often a blank canvas is all our family and friends see.
The loss of communication skills following stroke is called aphasia, and can be devastating to the sufferer and his or her loved ones because they can no longer communicate the way they used to.
Often, short-term speech language therapy for recovering stroke sufferers helps. But, ongoing therapy is difficult and costly to obtain. For that reason, the Niagara Health System is opening a Niagara Aphasia Centre, which will offer conversational support therapy on an ongoing basis.
The Niagara Aphasia Centre, opening Jan. 14 by the NHS, is a unique partnership with Brock University and the Niagara Arms Retirement Hotel. This new service will be offered free of charge to all Niagara residents and will be located at the Niagara Arms Retirement Hotel on Niagara Street in St. Catharines.
The Niagara Aphasia Centre will offer ongoing communication therapy to those recovering from stroke, who have difficulty talking and communicating. Under the leadership of Speech Pathologists with the Niagara Health System, Brock University students in the Linguistics Department and specially-trained volunteers will meet with participants on an ongoing basis, to help them develop their communication skills to the best of their abilities.
"We are quite excited about this launch of this excellent new program," said Alex Rowland, NHS Regional Manager of Speech Pathology. "People with aphasia have problems in understanding, talking, reading and writing and they end up feeling isolated and frustrated."
Up to 20 clients at a time will attend two morning sessions per month, each session lasting two and a half-hours. Working with Brock University students and trained volunteers, clients will develop their own life history books, learn new communication techniques and set goals.
A unique element of the Centre is the support group available to family members/caregivers. "While our clients are attending their sessions, the caregivers will also have the opportunity to receive support and information on community services," Alex said. "This is an important respite time for the caregivers."
Mervin and Maryellen O'Brien are veterans of a similar program called The Communicators, offered by Niagara Rehab Site for the past several years. The new Centre is based on the success of that close-knit group. "My husband suffered a brain hemorrhage back in 1991 when he was 57 years old," explained Maryellen. "He is paralyzed on the right side and was very incapacitated after the stroke. He couldn't verbalize much and went through intensive speech therapy for quite a while."
The group Mervin and Maryellen joined has made a world of difference to their quality of life. "The members of the group are all in similar health situations, and they gain a lot of support and encouragement from seeing others who are improving in their communication," Maryellen said. "The support group for the caregivers is wonderful for me. It helps everyone there to know we're not alone. My husband and I have made a lot of friends and we will certainly continue on with the new Centre."
Clients must be referred by a physician to participate in the Niagara Aphasia Centre. "We are targeting a specific group of people, and we have to make sure their diagnosis matches our criteria," Alex explained.
The Centre would not be possible without the support of the Singing Saints, a Niagara-based barbershop-style singing group that has made a multi-year commitment to the Niagara Aphasia Centre. As well, Niagara Arms Retirement Hotel is offering space, a music centre, and other audio/visual aids free of charge.
In addition to these partnerships, Brock University is dedicating five linguistics students per term to participate and conduct research on the Centre. "They will be measuring the effectiveness of the program by producing outcome measures, and analysis which will enable us to incorporate new techniques, strategies and best practice measures," said Alex. "We want to keep up the good work that has benefited Mervin and Maryellen."
For more information on the Niagara Aphasia Centre, please contact Alex Rowland at 905-358-4928.