How do I know when to help them out? How long do I let them struggle before jumping in? When the words come out wrong, is it ok to correct them?  These are all common and expected questions that may come to mind when you have a loved one with Aphasia. Communication can be challenging, and it can be difficult to know if and when a loved one would like you to help them out,or if they’d rather you give them time to get the words out on their own.  So why not have a discussion about it?

Click below to read more about some of our most frequently asked questions and challenges that individuals are faced with when Aphasia becomes a part of their lives

R.E.S.C.U.E. provides resources and education for Stroke Caregivers to help them better care for their loved ones and themselves. 

In the Aphasia world, I feel it is quite common for caregivers to experience grief…a lot of it. There is actually a word for this type of loss that is often experienced by our caregivers.  The term has been coined “ambiguous loss,” which is any loss that’s sort of unclear and lacks a resolution.

We believe that caring for the caregiver is equally as important as caring for our clients with Aphasia. We can’t expect our caregivers to provide the level of support that is necessary in helping our patients with Aphasia regain their emotional, physical, social, and communicative well beings if they’re not taken care of. As Speech Language Pathologists, we often wonder how we can be doing more to care for the caregiver. Our primary role is to provide education to caregivers about Aphasia---but is that enough?

“Caregiving” takes on many jobs and responsibilities, many of which are unexpected and
unplanned. I believe it is important to acknowledge this, especially as a medical professional working with individuals who have Aphasia, further supporting our obligations to be there for our caregivers just as much as we are for our patients.

The Aphasia Center provides Caregiver stories to provide support and the opportunity to "meet" other families that may be going through similar situations. They also provide a variety of other resources.