says. “It’s a progressive, neuro-degenerative illness that not only
affects language but also memory, intellect, personality and so on.
Aphasia is the result of a physical injury to the brain. It can strike
people of any age depending upon the nature of the cause—a car
accident or a fall, a gunshot wound or other injury.”
Emmy, Valerie, Mary, Julie
Generally speaking, the patients that Lorrie sees day to day
are stroke victims. The severity of the stroke or injury itself
will largely determine the severity and type of aphasia and the
prognosis for recovery.
There are two basic types of aphasia. A non-fluent aphasia means
the patient is limited to a very few words, and exhibits a halting
or “groping” aspect to his or her expressive skills. By contrast,
fluent aphasia means that a patient may be able to produce words
fluently and without much effort but the words themselves do
not make sense—containing errors of syntax or semantics or the
scrambling of sounds and syllables.
The patient may understand basic questions and follow basic
commands, or there can be fairly severe comprehension issues.
“In such cases, I tell the families it’s as if the patient is in a foreign
country,” Nebrig says. “They are able to hear the language being
spoken but don’t understand the meaning of the words, so that he
or she is unable to answer questions or follow directions.”
It can be extremely confusing and upsetting to families when
they find their loved ones cannot communicate. Nebrig works
with family members to help them understand that a patient’s
aphasia-caused inability to communicate is not a deficit in his or
her intellect. Intelligence remains intact in aphasia, but the ability
to communicate is altered.
Emmy, Valerie, Mary, Julie
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“We see patients in the hospital but depending on their physical
and occupational therapy needs, we often help guide them in their
rehabilitation journey,” she says. “We continue on an outpatient In 1781, months before the key American victory at Yorktown, Massachusetts
became the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday.
basis to help them improve their expressive and receptive language
skills. Families remain important—often attending the sessions
along with the patient so that the information can carry over into
Turning 65
the home environment.”
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Because aphasia is generally the result of stroke, knowing the
warning signs of stroke often can be very important. Spotting the
signs of stroke and getting help quickly can lessen the severity of
the stroke and its consequences, aphasia included.
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pccnews
July 2015
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