Easier word processing for someone with aphasia

Jack Schofield, the technology expert at The Guardian was asked about alternatives to using Open Office's predictive text for someone who has acquired asphasia after having a stroke.

There are several programs that are designed for people with physical impairments or severe dyslexia that should be more useful than Open Office's predictive text or Microsoft Office's AutoComplete.NEXT...

Aphasia and text writing.

Background: Good writing skills are needed in almost every aspect of life today, and there is a growing interest in research into acquired writing difficulties. Most of the findings reported so far, however, are based on words produced in isolation. The present study deals with the production of entire texts. Aims: The aim was to characterize written narratives produced by a group of participants with aphasia. Methods & Procedures: Eight persons aged 28-63 years with aphasia took part in the study. They were compared Next...

Virtual therapist helps aphasia patients recover language

by ChiChi Madu
Feb 26, 2009

Last summer Mercy Gilpatric, an elderly North Side woman, had a stroke that wiped out her language abilities. Now, with the help of a "virtual therapist," she is regaining her language, one sentence at a time.

“It’s mind-boggling,” she said of the improvement she has made due to her training program. “The training has helped my reading so much.”

Gilpatric has a condition known as aphasia, which affects more than one million Americans, said Leora Cherney, director of the Center for Aphasia Research at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Cherney developed a computer program known as ORLA, short for Oral Reading for Language in Aphasia, to help these patients recover.

ORLA features a virtual therapist known as "Ms. Pat," an avatar who guides patients through sentence reading exercises and asks patients to point to the words as they say them aloud....next...

Aphasia/dysphasia: can't talk, not allowed to talk.

Visiting Dyscover this morning; http://dyscover.ndo.co.uk: this is a local support group for people with aphasia or dysphasia – no speech or disrupted speech, usually because of stroke or brain disease. As you talk with them, you have to wait while they find the words they want to say, and test out what you have understood to make sure you picked it up right. One interesting positive for the group was the chance to talk about interesting topics in discussion groups. At home, they have discussed everything with their spouse, and visitors often do not wait comfortably for them to take time to speak, so they don’t get the chance to spread their wings in a discussion like the rest of us do over coffee or a meal break.

I connect it with people’s response to hearing that you have cancer or you’re dying; people don’t know how to respond to you, so you become isolated. My ambition for the future: we should all learn how to take time to listen to people.

Aphasia caregivers

Caregivers for persons living with aphasia (PLWA) are often misinformed, confused, scared, and overwhelmed when their loved one experiences a stroke with aphasia. I've found that not many therapists or doctors give the caregivers the right kind of information--what is it? Will it get better? Who can I talk to? Does anyone else have it? and so on. Shockingly few medical personnel will give information about aphasia support groups or the National Aphasia Association website. Very few couples are given encouragement to continue therapies after the insurance runs out. No one is given hope for progress, it seems. If you have hope, you will often be told that you are in denial about your spouse's capabilities.

Frequently, I will see older couples who have been married for 40+ years, in which the husband now has aphasia and the wife is now the primary caregiver. Often, but not always, the husband was the main.........NEXT...........

http://www.theaudeo.com/

The "AUDEO" will give me the thing I need more than anything else; the ability to talk to my children. Dave (age 41, diagnosed with ALS in 2004)	The Audeo is being developed to create a human-computer interface for communication without the need of physical motor control or speech production. Using signal processing, unpronounced speech representing the thought of the mind can be translated from intercepted neurological signals.
Do you think the Audeo could help you or somebody you know? If so, click here.
By interfacing near the source of vocal production, the Audeo has the potential to restore communication to people who are unable to speak. The proposed solution is a featherweight wireless device resting over the vocal cords capable of transmitting neurological information from the brain. Using data analysis, this information can be processed into synthesized speech or a menu selection capable of conveying the basic necessities of human life. Current Applications of the Audeo: Speech – After a recent breakthrough, we have developed a method to exceed individual words and have shown the ability to produce continuous speech with high accuracy from the neurological signals. Wheelchair Control – By incorporating the Audeo with additional hardware, we have successfully controlled a wheelchair without the need of physical movement. To see the wheelchair in action, watch the wheelchair demonstration. If you are a researcher, scientist, or interested in more information about the technology behind The Audeo, please sign up here. We will send you more information or demonstration when it becomes available. This technology is being developed in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois and supported by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and National Instruments.

Service with a smile

Therapy centre provides a physical, mental boost

Posted By BY HEATHER IBBOTSON, EXPOSITOR STAFF

Updated 21 days ago

A heart attack and stroke three years ago not only robbed Dora Anderson of her health and mobility, but also stole much of her spirit.

Her outlook has changed since she began visiting the Adult Recreation Therapy Centre about two years ago.

"I really like it here. It's such an optimistic place," Dora, 73, said in an interview at the Henry Street centre.

The ARTC offers social, therapeutic and recreational activities for adults coping with the effects of stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, early stages of Alzheimer disease and other progressive disorders.

"Everyone has a smile.

No matter how bad you feel, they make you feel better," Dora said. "It's something to look forward to. It's a great place."

Her husband, Ron, said that attending the centre has "been a godsend."

SOCIAL INTERACTION

He said that Dora enjoys the increased social interaction, card playing and light rehabilitative exercise while he gets a much needed respite.

There is a lot of pressure involved in being a caregiver and all the worries about the details of home-care quickly mount up, he said.

Twice a week, Ron drops Dora off for a morning of activity and therapy.

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"It's a good break for me," he said. "When she's here I have no worries at all."

The ARTC operates day programs Monday through Saturday, along with a Tuesday evening program. It also runs full days of programs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Willett Hospital in Paris, recognizing that 25 per cent of clients live in the county.

The centre receives funding from the province, as well as from the Brant United Way, said executive director Lori Santilli.

MOSTLY SENIORS

Most of the clients are seniors, but a few are in their 40s or 50, she said.

"We try to maintain their level of independence," Santilli said.

The centre offers clients a variety of activities and therapies, individually and as a group.

Activities include discussions of current events, reading the newspaper and playing cards, as well as crafts and other recreational therapies.

Even something as simple as a game of bingo can be therapeutic, Santilli said.

Stroke victims often lose not only a field of vision but also the very sense that they have lost that vision. They must be taught to turn their heads to scan from side to side to make up for the lost perception and vision, Santilli said.

Kinesiologist Jan Phillips guides clients through the motions of individual physical therapy that can include stretching, practice walking between a set of parallel bars, exercising arms and legs and even receiving a hot wax treatment to the hands for arthritis.

She also ensures clients are properly positioned in wheelchairs and are using walkers and canes safely and effectively.

SOMETHING EXTRA

The centre's aphasia program offers something extra for people who have suffered damage due to stroke that mars their ability to communicate verbally or to translate their thoughts into words.

Each participant has a binder filled with personal photographs, calendars, maps, drawings, and exercises designed to help them relearn or recognize the words that correspond to everyday objects.

Aphasia patients "know more than they can say, so they need a way to get the message out," said speech pathologist Jan Roadhouse.

Stroke survivor Marianna Wolter, 82, was skeptical about attending the centre's programs at first, but the friendliness of the staff soon changed her mind.

"I came out of my shell," she said. "I really enjoy it here."

For more information, visit www.artc.ca or call 519-753-1882.