Jennifer was only 18 when she had her stroke and her life fell apart. When Jennifer woke up in hospital she couldn’t say a word. Just like one third of survivors, Jennifer’s stroke had caused aphasia.
Aphasia is a language and communication disorder. It can be incredibly frustrating and being unable to express yourself can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Family and friends can find it very difficult too.
Everyone’s experience of aphasia is different, and this is where your vital support comes in. Donations are crucial to run support groups where someone like Jennifer can feel understood, fund stroke research that will develop new treatments and provide materials like our information guides designed especially for people with aphasia.
Jennifer says, “People with aphasia can do wonderful things with the right support.” You can hear Jennifer read her letter in the video below.
1 in 3 stroke survivors will experience aphasia. Please donate today to help people with aphasia to communicate with confidence, in whatever way they can.*
Thank you for helping to rebuild lives after stroke.
Aphasia research
Speech and language therapy is often the first step towards recovery for people with aphasia. But many survivors don’t get as much support as they need. They may be unsure of their next steps, and their families may not know how to help. Too often, this can lead to difficulties like depressions.
Katie Monelly is a stroke researcher and speech and language therapist. She’s investigating how an Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programme (ICAP) could benefit people affected by stroke. This treatment delivers lots of speech and language therapy in a short space of time, at least 3 hours a day for two weeks. She’s working with people with aphasia and their families to find out if ICAPs, which have been investigated in other countries, could work here in the UK.
Katie says, “I’d like my research to have a positive impact on the quality and quantity of therapy received by stroke survivors their families. People with aphasia are at the heart of my research projects.”