| Description |
Aphasia, or language impairment, is one of the most serious impairments in the ability to communicate. It aff ects many areas of a patient‘s life, as well as the lives of their family and loved ones. The care of patients with aphasia is multidisciplinary, linking medical and non-medical professions. Aphasia arises suddenly as a result of a focal brain damage. Symptoms of aphasia include: speech fl uency and rate disorder, comprehension disorders, paraphasia, anomia, neologisms, agrammatisms, perseverations, echolalia etc. The ability to read, write and count is also aff ected. Cognitive disorders, i.e. most often disorders of memory, attention, learning, decision-making, orientation, etc., develop gradually. Specialist medical care is provided mainly by a neurologist, psychiatrist, gerontopsychiatrist and general practitioner. Diagnosis and therapy of language and language-cognitive functions are provided by a clinical speech and language therapist. Among non-medical professions, the diagnosis and therapy of cognitive functions falls under the expertise of a clinical psychologist or neuropsychologist. The role of the family or communication partner in therapy and training is indispensable or even essential. The set of 80 worksheets contained in this publication is designed to support active communication in people with mild to moderate aphasia and/or mild to moderate cognitive impairment, either in paired work with a communication partner (clinical speech and language therapist, family member, friend, caregiver, etc.) or in a group setting. The activities herein are concise, variable and off er a wide variety of topics to stimulate language functions in the form of speaking, reading, writing, counting, memory, attention and executive functions. Conversational training brings benefi ts not only to the person with impaired language or language-cognitive functions, but also has a positive social impact in terms of improving communication skills, establishing interpersonal relationships, strengthening family and intergenerational relationships. Improving communication skills positively aff ects the quality of life of people with aphasia and their loved ones.
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