What is aphasia?
Aphasia is a complex communication disability which is caused by brain damage.

Aphasia usually comes on suddenly when a stroke or a head injury happens in the language processing areas of the brain. About a third of strokes result in aphasia, and 30 – 40% will remain severely affected long term.

Aphasia can also develop gradually from a slow-growing brain tumour or a disease that causes progressive damage to the language areas.

At Dyscover we specialise in supporting people whose aphasia is caused by stroke, or who have a condition called Primary Progressive Aphasia – a type of dementia.

The type and severity of aphasia varies from person to person, and depends mostly on the cause, the extent and location of the brain damage.

A person with aphasia may:

• Have slow and halting speech, and use incomplete sentences
• Struggle to find words, or use a wrong but related word
• Make spelling, grammar, or sound errors.
• Have difficulty understanding what people say, or what they read
• Not be aware of their difficulties

Aphasia affects everyone differently, but it often has a significant impact on peoples’ ability to work and maintain roles and relationships at home.

Aphasia is one of the most enduring consequences of stroke, and it impacts mental health more than other changes. Up to 70% of people with aphasia after a stroke may have depression, and the incidence is also higher for family members.

What can help?
The recommended treatment for aphasia is Speech and Language Therapy. People may see a Speech and Language Therapist on a stroke ward, and later as an outpatient, or at home. The aims of Speech and Language Therapy will depend on an individual’s needs and the stage of their recovery.

SLT may be focused on;

• helping restore as much speech and language as possible (reduce impairment)
• helping people communicate to the best of their ability (increase activity and participation)
• finding alternative ways of communicating (use compensatory strategies or aids)
• providing information to patients and their relatives about aphasia

For many people with aphasia caused by stroke, the most rapid changes are early on in the weeks and months after their stroke . However, improvements can continue to be seen many years, and even decades, later.

Dyscover can help support people and their families with aphasia, our support is designed to support people at different stages of recovery. The National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke 2023 reinforce the importance of Dyscover’s community aphasia services.

What is PPA?
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a term that refers to a group of dementias that affect a person’s speech and language. There are 3 main types of PPA, associated with different patterns of speech and language change. They are Progressive Non Fluent Aphasia, Logopenic Aphasia and Semantic Dementia.

PPA usually starts between the ages of 50 and 70. However, it can also affect older people and rarely, younger people as well.

PPA presents very differently from the more common types of dementia, where early symptoms include changes in memory, thinking and reasoning skills.

Support for PPA
While no medication or lifestyle change will stop the progression or reverse the disease which causes PPA, steps can be taken to manage symptoms.

Speech and Language Therapy, when delivered by experienced clinicians and tailored to the individuals changing needs, can play a valuable role in helping people with PPA and their families to manage their everyday communication throughout the course of the disease.

At Dyscover we recognise the specific needs of people with PPA, and their families. We started our first dedicated PPA service in 2015. Since then, we have continued to expand and develop the service, based on feedback from people we have already helped, on research evidence, and on our own clinical experience.

Our approach is positive and practical, and draws on the principles of Communication Partner Training. For maximum benefit, we prefer to work with the person with PPA and a family member together in our support groups, either in person at Leatherhead or online.