Communication changes and SLP services according to significant others of persons with aphasia

Abstract

Background: Significant others are important to persons with aphasia. For several reasons they should be involved in speech-language pathology (SLP) services, including acquiring facilitating communicative strategies and receiving support. In order to further adapt SLP services there is a need to know the perceptions and views of the significant others. Little is known about how they perceive changes in communication as well as received SLP services and in what way they want to be involved in these services. Aims: The study aimed to investigate which communicative changes significant others of persons with aphasia had experienced after a stroke event and to what extent these changes were experienced. A further aim was to describe the significant others' experiences of SLP services and their motivation to participate in these services. Finally, the significant others' experiences were compared in terms of sex, age, type of relationship, time since stroke onset, and type and severity of aphasia. Methods & Procedures:An 80-item study-specific questionnaire was answered by 173 significant others of persons with aphasia living throughout Sweden (response rate 69%). Of these, 33% were male and 67% female. Mean age was 64.2 years (range 33-87 years) and 85.5% of the participants were a cohabiting partner to a person with aphasia. Outcomes & Results: A total of 64% of participants perceived their conversations as being less stimulating and enjoyable compared with conversations before stroke onset. Aphasia was considered a substantial or very substantial problem by 64%. The participants took on an increased communicative responsibility, and 70% had changed their communicative behaviour in order to facilitate conversations. A total of 75% (n = 130) had met with the SLP of the person with aphasia. Of those, 63% perceived their own support from SLP services to be adequate; 87% considered language ability training as the most important

Feasibility and cost analysis of implementing high intensity aphasia clinics within a sub-acute setting

“…The high caregiver satisfaction in the present research is in contrast to a previous study of caregiver's perceptions of speech-language pathology services for people with aphasia which revealed only 63% of caregivers perceived the support from the services to be adequate (Blom Johansson, Carlsson, Östberg, & Sonnander, 2012). Complaints about the services received in this same study were mostly pertaining to the insufficient amount of services the person with aphasia received (Blom Johansson, et al, 2012).…”

‘Now it is about me having to learn something ….’ Partners’ experiences with a Dutch conversation partner training programme (PACT)

“…This may be one reason why several partners initially were hesitant about being targets for training. Alongside that the prevailing method in aphasia intervention, linguistic training aimed to restore language function (Blom Johansson et al 2012, Wielaert et al 2014, did not help to contribute to their perception of the interactive nature of conversations. Once the partners in this study engaged in the PACT training, their perception of conversations changed.…”

“…Alongside that the prevailing method in aphasia intervention, linguistic training aimed to restore language function (Blom Johansson et al . , Hallé and Le Dorze , Wielaert et al . ), did not help to contribute to their perception of the interactive nature of conversations.…”

The perspectives of adults with aphasia and their team members regarding the importance of nine life areas for rehabilitation: a pilot investigation

“…They spent a great deal of time with the adult with aphasia and would have experienced their daily communicative difficulties and stresses. 29 Three areas (Work and Education, Leisure and Self-care) were rated significantly differently by the three groups. Most SLPs (80%) felt that Work and Education was an important area to focus on, while less than half (47%) of the adults with aphasia and only about a quarter of the significant others (27%) rated this area as important.…”