Introduction
Aphasia is a disorder that attacks the sensory system. The person is unable to use the oral, written, auditory comprehension adequately. The interpretation of objects, sounds and feeling is impaired. It is highly associated with diseases such as stroke which leads to paralysis of the brain and nervous system in general. It can also be caused by tumors or cancers that affect the brain as well as any vascular problems affecting the circulation supplying the brain tissues. The problem does not affect the intelligence of the person, but rather their synthesis and interpretation of the same information.
Are all types of speech difficulties aphasia?
All speech deficiencies cannot be classified as aphasia. Communication is a combination of speech and language. Brain injury majorly causes dysarthria and apraxia. Dysarthria is a weakness of the muscles which makes the person have slurred speech, with nasality and low tone. Apraxia, on the other hand, is a lack of coordination between the brain and the muscles of the mouth. This condition makes it difficult for the person to have mixed sounds. The patient struggles to say sounds every time they speak.
The types of Aphasia
There are three main types discussed in literature available. Broca’s is the kind that hinders the delivery of words from the person. The person cannot utter words, especially long ones and those that are seldom used. The person is aware of what they intend to say, but they are unable to deliver the phrase efficiently. They, therefore, end up with stammering sounds that do not communicate anything to the listener. Wernicke’s aphasia also referred to as the fluent aphasia is a kind that that gets a bit severe for the patient. The person does not comprehend what people around them are saying. If you talk to them, they do not understand at all. They do not also have any control to what they can say. Therefore, they just make sounds that are not audible to the people listening. Globally, however, is the most severe type of them all. The problem is that the patient is unable to speak entirely, no sounds, they cannot repeat words that they hear from other people. This situation makes it hard for them to follow any commands that they receive (American Heart Association, 2015).
What are the effects of the disorder?
Statistics at the Florida Hospital indicate that 1 Million people have been diagnosed with this disease. 80,000 cases are expected to be diagnosed with the recent increase in the number of individuals that develop stroke. The person with aphasia suffers from speech. They have problems getting words out during conversations. They are not able to get the words from the mind and neither do they understand what others are saying to them.
The effects are also in the brain making it hard to write or read as well as do math calculations. The person would have a weakness of the body if they suffered a stroke. Memory is inhibited. Eyesight is a major complication for the patients as well. Dysphagia is also a complication that a patient with aphasia can suffer.
What happens to multilingual people?
Aphasia affects the brain. The main cause being that there is an injury to the brain tissues or brain stem. The damage mainly affects the left side of the brain leading to damage to the language centers. People may have different brains attributed to the gender and the cerebral asymmetries. Therefore, for the people affected by the disease may have various levels of disability in their speech. Although linguists just like any other people will lose their ability to communicate.
Family and Aphasia patients
The relatives of the person that suffer from aphasia are also in a way challenged on how to handle their loved one. There is a significant amount of worry on the change of situation for their family member. Wondering about the prognosis of the illness and how it will affect their social ability when they recover from the acute stages. Couples worry about their intimacy. How bills will be paid without the other person. How the children will respond to the situation. As well as how the ailing partner is feeling during these times.” An individual’s aphasia is a family problem” (ASHA, 2015).
So does one communicate with someone that has aphasia?
The people that develop the condition are members of families, friends and colleagues at work. Therefore, some people will want to pass information to them. It is vital that they learn techniques that will help in the process and ease the understanding. It is critical that before starting a conversation the person gets to know that the patient is sick, and there is nothing much they can do about it.
The process needs a lot of patience. Choose a comfortable place and chair to sit on. This helps to ensure that eye contact is maintained as most of the communication will be about the reading of the lips. The introduction is also significant. Let the patient get to remember who you are first. Direct sentences have to be straightforward and candid. Asking questions that you already have the answers makes the conversation easier. Stressing the keywords of the sentences makes it easy for them to follow the conversation. Writing down the phrase can also help the patient remember the conversations (AIA, 2015)
The future of Aphasia
The future has been predicted to bring forth such treatments as transplants of the neural stem cells. Giving the affected person a donor brain cells to help get quick recovery from the disorder. Currently, the management of aphasia is through speech therapy. Research has been ongoing for the year to develop more efficient ways of communicating and recovering from the disease. Recent research has emerged both the fMRI and Cortical stimulation are being worked. Functional magnetic resonance imaging is under study to identify the effectiveness of speech therapy and how the brain activity changes for the patient on treatment. This study will help researchers come up with better ways of ensuring the brain can attain full recovery within limited time frames (Banotai,2009).
A Dr. Chaney, the director of the Centre for Aphasia Research and Treatment is the team leader a research study on cortical stimulation therapy. The aim is to try and five the stimulation to the brain to enhance plasticity. A recovering brain is in a plastic state, and therefore, she hopes that the ability of the therapy to aid in creating more stimulation can help the patients recover much sooner than expected. The procedure is non-invasive with transcranial currents being applied on the left hemisphere. The application of currents on one side of the obtain stimulates interhemispheric rivalry. Therefore, make it easier for the affected side to produce activity more than it would in typical speech therapy.
Research also indicates that works have been done on telemedicine. The technologic advances have made things a bit simpler. The presence of the internet makes it possible for recovering patients to access such services as Skype and video conferencing. This technology has been available for a while. But the current studies are focused towards giving the patients the ability to communicate over a larger distance. Not only being able to whisper, but two professors give lectures, directors hold company meetings and newscasters to read the news. Experiment. That is the kind of technology that is now under study (Lingraphica, 2013). Involvement in the clinical practice will lead to a quick adaptation of technology, change of attitudes and purchase of the infrastructure that will allow for the people affected by aphasia to access the modern therapies such as telemedicine.
Conclusion
The primary solution to this problem has a family and friends that care for the person. If the disorder is not kept as a secret, then seeking medical attention becomes easier. The people around become more resourceful as well as helpful. Patience is an important virtue of the people that live in or around the patient. Taking care of the individual with love makes recovery easier for them.
Speech therapy helps the person to gain their ability to speak back within some time. Not forgetting to keep regular checkups for the patients that suffered from a stroke to monitor and control incidences from recurring. Creation of a treatment plan that is helpful will be quite beneficial as it will return dignity to the affected and continue to provide the quality of life.
References
American Heart Association. (2015). Stroke and Aphasia. Let’s Talk about Stroke. American Heart Association
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2015). Family Adjustment to Aphasia. ASHA. Retrieved from http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/FamilyAdjustmentAphasia/
Association International Aphasia. (2015). What is Aphasia? Brochure by A.I.A. Retrieved fromhttp://www.afasie.nl/aphasia/pdf/3/brochure1.pdf
Bonotai, A. (2009). The Future of Aphasia Research. Emerging Technology Could Improve Treatment. Advance Healthcare Network.19:26. p.6
Lingraphica. (2013). Telemedicine and Aphasia Therapy: The Future is Here. Retrieved from http://blog.aphasia.com/telemedicine-aphasia-therapy/
