Author: Denise M
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Don’t Call It A Comeback!
We are STILL here and STILL following our mission!
More Than Aphasia, INC is about raising awareness and building a supportive community for people with aphasia.
We focus on the importance of staying connected and offer both online and in-person activities.
Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been living with aphasia for a while, we welcome everyone to share their stories, advocate for accessibility, and empower each other.
It’s a place for survivors and their loved ones to come together and support one another.
Join us and be part of our amazing community!
Please share this blog, leave comments, or reach out to local groups—every connection counts!
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Positivity Matters!
I recently read an article that featured actress, singer, dancer, and entertainer Rita Moreno!
In the (Feb/March 2023) of “Brain & Life (Neurology for Everyday Living)” article, she shared the positive persceptive that attributes to a joyous outlook that is crucial to her mental, emotional, and cognitive health!
I have fond memories of Ms. Moreno as the sassy Anita in the original “WEST SIDE STORY” and as a regular on the PBS program “The Electric Company”.
Ms. Moreno has tons of movie credits as well as awards for the stage! She is one of only 18 entertainers who have earned an EMMY, , GRAMMY, OSCAR, and a TONY awards!
In the article, Ms. Moreno talked about her lifelong pursuit of mental wellness and included the recommendations of neurologists and other doctors.
Perhaps you can resonate with these suggestions for long-term brain health:
- Get plenty of sleep
- Eat well
- Exercise
Some specific activities Ms. Moreno uses to stimulate her brain: (you check with your therapist and doctors first!)
- Uses her nondominant hand
- Walks safely backwards (with a hand on the wall and no furniture in the way)
- Uses her imagination-daily!
To get your own FREE subscription to the magazine (you can request a print copy or the electronic copy)contact :
Brain & Life – P.O. Box 1908 – Lowell, MA – 01853-9967
or
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Neurofatigue and Aphasia!
Neurofatigue affects many people with aphasia. (Neurofatigue is also called mental fog, cognitive fatigue, or brain fog).
Doesn’t matter how the aphasia is acquired (brain injury, stroke, or disease)- neurofatigue decreases the quality of life experiences.
Aphasia makes the brain work harder than before. Neurologists say that the brain actually changes because of that needed effort.
A few symptoms of neurofatigue include:
- forgetfulness
- distractibility
- irritability
- dizziness
- headaches
- decreased coordination
- decreased effective communication
- lack of interest
- decreased processing
Strategies that may ease symptoms:
- having a healthy sleep routine
- pace yourself and priortize daily tasks
- use a checklist or a to-do list
- improve your overall health and wellness including diet and exercise
Reference: https://www.biausa.org/public-affairs/media/fatigue-after-brain-injury
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Living with Aphasia? THRIVING with Aphasia!
Resilience is our ability to cope with stress, adversity and to adapt to life’s challenges.
Do you know that you can learn to be more resilient? Resilience is a skill that we all can improve.
Our resilience changes from day to day and situation to situation.
Our resiliency affects how we care for ourselves and our relationships.
We do not go back to where we were, but we move forward
each day!Resilience is part of my “toolbox” for thriving with aphasia!
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“I have APHASIA, but aphasia does not have me”!
By this motto, I mean that aphasia does not win over me! There are daily communication challenges that aphasia brings, but there are daily “wins” that I acknowledge.
Today I had to make several business calls. I find that most persons who work on the phone a lot, tend to speak too fast for my to process all information that say.
Today, I advocated for my communication needs by identifying myself as a person with aphasia. I shared a friendly definition of aphasia, how aphasia does not impact my intelligence, and that over 2 million people in the United States have aphasia.
I listed 3 ways that the customer service rep. could help me have a successful phone call:
- Speak slowly and clearly
- Say all numbers as single digits (instead of giving an address as 187 West St. say “one, eight, seven” West St.
- Please confirm any numbers I give you any numbers (and I will give them to you one digit as a time)
Yep, 4 phone calls, 3 addresses, one LOOONNNNGGGG confirmation number with letters and digits, and all were successful! I handled my business and count that as a BIG WIN!
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??? APHASIA ???
What IS Aphasia?
Do you know that over 84 percent of all Americans have never heard of the word “aphasia”.
Do you know that over 2 million people in America are living with aphasia?
Aphasia is a chronic disorder that impacts a person’s ability to communicate.
It is caused by damage to the part of the brain that processes language.
Aphasia can impact speaking, reading, writing, mathematics, and comprehension/processing of language.
There are different symptoms and different levels of severity with aphasia. Therefore it is very individual to each person with aphasia as it depends on the size and the location of the brain injury.
Aphasia is mostly caused by stroke, traumatic brain injury, and even disease.
More Than Aphasia, INC 