The quantity of life for people with chronic aphasia

Abstract

This study sought to examine the relationships between social activity and aphasia. Thirty-eight people with chronic aphasia and their closest relative completed a newly developed Social Network with Aphasia Profile (SNAP) and relatives completed a Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI) during the summer months of the year 2000. The SNAP requires a record to be kept over a consecutive seven-day period of who the person with aphasia sees (e.g., doctor, brother), where they see them (e.g., hospital, gym, pub), and why (e.g., to attend group meeting, shopping). A multiple regression analysis was carried out using the number of hours people spent out of their home as the independent variable, and severity of aphasia, age, time since onset and presence of hemiplegia as dependent variables. This accounted for 30% of the variance and revealed that severity of aphasia has a particularly negative impact. Age and physical condition also have a negative impact. However, a rich social network was observed for some aphasic people. Only one participant was receiving speech-language therapy of two hours per week. Implications for reducing communication barriers, raising public awareness and service provision are discussed.