Have you ever had a dream in which you desperately needed help, but when you attempted to call out you found yourself unable to speak or cry out? It’s a very common nightmare, and an unfortunate reality for those suffering from aphasia, a language disorder that impacts the ability to communicate. Aphasia is an unfortunate common after effect of stroke, and the month of June marks the national observation of Aphasia Awareness. National Aphasia Awareness Month’s goal is to educate the general public about the prevalence of aphasia in our society, to teach us how to more effectively communicate with and provide for those who are stricken by the disorder, and to recognize the risks of stroke in an attempt to prevent them from occurring.

Aphasia is the result of damage to the part of the brain that controls our ability to communicate. Stroke is the most frequent cause of aphasia, but it can be cause by any physical condition that damages the right side of the brain, including traumatic brain injury, tumors, and degenerative brain disorders. The right side of the brain controls not just our ability to speak, but also our ability to read, write, listen, and read. It can also impact the ability to swallow. People who suffer from aphasia are essentially trapped within their own brains: they can sometimes understand what is
being said to them, but sometimes cannot. Most frustrating is that whether they understand an input or not, when they answer their speech contains inappropriate words so that what is being

communicated makes no sense. They switch sounds within words, putting the first syllable of a word last and the last first, use made up words, and
string together words in a way that sounds fluent yet makes no sense. This frightening condition impacts roughly one million people in the United States, and if your loved one is one of them, there is no need for you to imagine how frustrating the situation is – you are living with it every day.

There are a number of treatments available for those who are suffering from aphasia. The goal of these is generally to improve the language skills that have been damaged to to improve overall communication by offering alternatives for the abilities that may be irretrievable. The other thing that loved ones are able to do to support those suffering from aphasia is to make sure that all appropriate measures have been taken to assure that they are getting the care and support that they need. You can do this by meeting with the Life Care Plan team at Rothamel Bratton.

Rothamel Bratton offers a personalized, carefully considered and structured strategy for identifying your loved one’s needs and making sure that they are met. Combining experienced attorneys with an elder care coordinator, we make sure that you understand the benefits that are available to you, the various care options that match your values and goals, and the legal actions you need to take in order to ensure that you are able to address the safety, comfort, and legal protection of a loved one with aphasia or who in any other way is unable to act on their own behalf.