Aphasia: The Thing We Don't Talk About

I love this quote, but I can’t take credit for it. Dr. Blay at The Woodlands in Pensacola created the tagline, and it couldn’t be more appropriate. Send your accolades to him for that one.

It is estimated that between 2.5 and 4 million people live with aphasia every day in the USA. An estimated one-third of all stroke survivors receive a diagnosis of aphasia, which is more common than Parkinson’s disease. Did you know?

Aphasia occurs when the language part of a person’s brain is damaged. It is a loss of language, not a loss of intelligence. It is isolating and frustrating, and our neighbors deserve resources and therapy to help them re-engage with life.

Traditional speech therapy has focused on the direct treatment of expressive and receptive language deficits, as well as finding augmentative and alternative ways to help people with aphasia communicate their needs. While this has been important for those with aphasia, it isn’t enough. Speech therapists have been trained to focus on deficits, and payors have traditionally fought to continue covering services when it appears a patient has reached a plateau or the insurance benefit limit has been met.

If you know me, you know I have strong feelings about how insurance companies have undermined healthcare. It’s not healthcare; it’s “Get-Out-of-the-Hospital” care or “Keep-Costs-Low” care. It assumes everyone fits neatly into a bell curve, and after a certain amount of time, statistically speaking, rehabilitation is slower and more incremental—so why bother?

But our neighbors, family members, and friends deserve better. Our communities should be more aphasia-friendly. Aphasia, this thing we don't talk about, is something that can continue to improve years after onset.

At Gulf Breeze Speech and Language, we have adopted the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA). This therapy framework not only addresses language and communication deficits but also considers psychosocial variables, environmental modifications, caregiver and community education, and life participation above all else. We want you to understand that you still have strengths, and we can work with those. We want you to recognize that researchers are learning every day about the new ways our brains can grow. Most importantly, we want you to know that there is HOPE. Although some days it may feel otherwise, you are not alone. I promise.

If you would like to join a support group or group therapy for aphasia, let us know. We are currently working on community programming ideas. We would both LOVE to treat you in the clinic, and we want you to dip your toes back into participating in life in an environment with plenty of language supports.

If you have aphasia, please reach out to us. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. Sometimes, even the best clinicians need a second set of eyes and new tools. If you’ve been told you are at your “maximum potential,” we would love to meet you and prove that wrong.