What is aphasia and how does home health care benefit individuals with this condition?

Aphasia is a condition that occurs when the language areas of the brain are damaged by injury, stroke, or tumor. There are three main types of aphasia: fluent, non-fluent, and global.

Wernicke’s, the most common type of fluent aphasia, is the result of damage to the temporal lobe of the brain. People with Wernicke’s aphasia tend to speak in long phrases that have no meaning, such as: Cat washing the door is that honey bee and my hour glass doorarator tomorrow. They are often unaware of their mistakes and struggle with language comprehension.

Broca’s, the most common type of non-fluent aphasia, develops when the frontal lobe of the brain is injured or damaged. People with Broca’s tend to have paralysis on the right side of their body and can understand speech, and know what they want to say, but they struggle to say or write it. They generally are only able to blurt out small phrases or a couple of words at a time.  

Global aphasia is the result of extensive damage to the brain’s language areas. Those with global aphasia experience severe disabilities of speech and language comprehension.

Home health agencies routinely treat patients recovering from strokes, debilitating brain injuries, and brain cancer. When someone suffers a brain injury, they experience both a physical and mental loss of control. This loss of control can cause some to feel anxious, afraid, or agoraphobic when leaving the confines of their home. Home health care benefits these patients by providing them quality medical care, and physical, and speech therapies in the safety if their home environment. Personalized care administered in a private home setting can result in greater patient participation and a higher rate of recovery.

Emphasize the quality and convenience of home care in your marketing strategies. Provide patient outcome scores in the print media you choose to increase your physician referrals.

May is National Stroke Awareness Month and the perfect time to raise awareness about stroke prevention and the benefits of choosing home health care. Why not partner with local community organizations to sponsor a Purple Walk or 5k run.

  • Provide blood pressure screening and information on healthy eating and age appropriate exercises that can lower the risk for stroke and cardiovascular disease.

  • Encourage food trucks that cater to a heart healthy diet to join in.

  • Invite the local media to participate and report on the event.

 

Visit TAGWebstore.com to order your print media and hand-outs for the event.

Your next home care marketing opportunity: Aphasia Awareness Month

Living with aphasia can be frustrating for both patients and their loved ones. June is National Aphasia Awareness Month.

Make it a point to educate your community about aphasia, its common causes, and how people with aphasia can benefit from your services. Here are some tips to help you get started:

  • Host an educational session on aphasia and ways to improve communication. Find tons of tips and tools at the website of the National Aphasia Association.
  • Educate your referral sources and patients about the role speech-language pathologists play in assisting those with common medical conditions, including aphasia.
  • Visit the Aphasia Awareness Month webpage hosted by the American Stroke Association and stock up on tons of ready-made resources to reach out to your community about this language disorder. Be sure to add their infographics to your company's website.
  • Post an item to your municipal government’s regular meeting agenda seeking to recognize June as Aphasia Awareness Month. Invite your speech-language pathologists to participate. Be sure to speak during the reading of the agenda item or during the meeting’s public comment period about the important work these professionals do. See page 2 at this link for a sample proclamation.
  • Contact your local television morning talk show producers and ask to be featured in a segment about aphasia awareness. Ask one of your agency’s speech-language pathologists to join you. Prepare yourself for the appearance by learning aphasia statistics, common conditions that cause aphasia, and tips to cope.
  • Create a word search puzzle using aphasia terms and personalize it to your agency. Leave stacks of them in the rehabilitation facilities in your area.
  • Locate a patient who is a stroke survivor who has made strides in overcoming their aphasia with the help of your speech-language pathologist. Secure the appropriate releases to speak with the media and then contact your local newspaper for a feature story about this patient, her progress, and how your agency has helped.