Practice speaking and reading
Exercise can take different forms at Aphasicenter. A large number come here to practice speaking or reading. Here you can also train to regain the ability to manage dates, perceive time or money. Work takes place in many different forms. For example, study circles, peer groups or meetings with a speech therapist who develops individual training programmes. In addition, you can also go here to participate in gym, choral singing or artistic activities. For many, this place is the main source of social interaction.
– If you have aphasia, it is not unusual to lose much of the social contact you had before the illness. Then it’s about finding a new place to be and new people to spend time with. People who understand what you’re going through and have the time to talk to you, even if it takes longer. “Here we organize, for example, lobster frittata, sour strom and Christmas lunch,” says Kirsty Eriksson.
– For many, Christmas lunch here may be the only Christmas celebration they have.
Aphasicenter would then continue for approximately 15 years at its current address in Sabbatsbergsvägen. The fact that the building is centrally located with a rotating level where shuttle trucks can drive right up to the front door makes this an ideal place to do business. What they lost was a real courtyard at the back of the house where visitors could have coffee or sit in an outdoor environment and read. In order to realize the dream, the Aphasia Center applied to XL-Hjälpen because they had neither the financial resources nor the skills to build the center themselves.
– When we found out we were going to get help with this, we were very happy about it, both the staff and the members – they cheered and clapped, says Kirsty Eriksson.
Loss of ability to speak
Aphasia is a language disorder that occurs after an acquired brain injury, usually a stroke. People with aphasia have varying degrees of difficulty speaking and interpreting what others are saying, as well as difficulties reading and writing.
– Many people do not understand the meaning of having aphasia. One can, for example, have aphasia without it being visible from the outside. Some members do not have any motor impairment, but may have significant problems with auditory comprehension. They may have problems with memory, perception, or detection. It is common for a person to suffer from low self-confidence due to the difficulties he faces. According to studies, depression occurs in between 43 and 70 percent of people with aphasia, says Kirsti Eriksson.
“Extreme tv maven. Beer fanatic. Friendly bacon fan. Communicator. Wannabe travel expert.”
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