CASL
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/22
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Item Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Restrictions for Inpatients with Aphasia and Associated Cognitive Dysfunction: Lessons Learned from Patient Detention(MDPI, 2024-12-04) Eshun, Edwin; Welch, Killian; Britton, Hannah; Mayer, Victoria; Morrice, Fay; Ogilvie, Charlotte; Page, Helen; Pridmore, Jessie; FitzGerald, AlasdairWe describe two patients with a recent stroke or traumatic brain injury associated with aphasia and cognitive impairment who required detention (under the Mental Health Act) as well as some form of restraint during their inpatient rehabilitation. Each of these episodes of care occurred early into the COVID-19 pandemic and we speculate that the detention (and restraint) was attributable, at least in part, to the difficulty in comprehending COVID-19-related changes in patterns of staff interaction and the mandated social and visiting restrictions. We reflect on the impact of these restrictions on the need for detention and how these factors could have been mitigated through speech and language therapist (SLT) and broader multidisciplinary team (MDT) intervention.Item The impact of aphasia on Internet and technology use(Taylor & Francis, 2019-04-13) Menger, Fiona; Morris, Julie; Salis, ChristosPurpose: This study compared Internet use post-stroke in people with aphasia (n = 25) and without aphasia (n = 17). The purpose was to understand how people with aphasia were using the Internet and to investigate the impact of aphasia on their use. Materials and methods: A face-to-face supported questionnaire explored the use of technologies, types of Internet use, traditional and Internet communication, the perception of abilities, and possible barriers to acquiring or improving Internet skills. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: Internet use ranged from fully independent to by proxy across both groups. Most participants perceived their aphasia as a barrier, but for the majority, it was not the sole reason for failing to acquire or improve skills. Aphasia was related to difficulties with technology-based written communication. Educational attainment was related to participant’s feelings about their own skills. Whilst aphasia was important, analysis revealed that age was a stronger predictor of Internet use per se. Conclusions: It is clear that aphasia often negatively affects Internet use and proficiency. However, this research clearly demonstrates that it is important to consider the influence of factors such as age, proxy use, education, and previous technology use and experience. Implications for rehabilitation Post-stroke aphasia contributes negatively to Internet use, particularly in the use of online communication tools such as email and messaging services. Sub-groups of people with aphasia are likely to be more vulnerable to exclusion from the benefits of the Internet; specifically, older people and those with lower levels of educational attainment. It is common for both older adults with and without aphasia to use the Internet via a proxy. Independent use may not always be the desired goal within rehabilitation. People with aphasia may perceive their age and disability as barriers to using the Internet and may lack confidence in their own ability or potential.Item New word learning in people with aphasia(2009) Kelly, Helen; Armstrong, LindaBackground: The theory of speech and language therapy intervention for people with aphasia is still under-articulated, and some people with aphasia respond better to therapy than others. The reasons for individual variation in response to therapy have not yet been fully established but may partially reflect a person with aphasia's ability to utilise a range of cerebral mechanisms, such as re-accessing damaged neural pathways and establishing new ones. Most current therapies aim to help the person with aphasia access their previously available language abilities. New learning may offer an alternative therapy approach. However, there is little evidence to date on the effect of aphasia on a person's capability to learn new linguistic information. Aim: To explore the new vocabulary learning potential of people with aphasia. Methods & Procedures: Twelve participants, under the age of 65 years and with a range of aphasia severity and personal backgrounds, were taught 20 novel words over four consecutive days. Their learning of this new vocabulary was measured via a range of single-word processing tasks based on the cognitive neuropsychological model. Ten participants repeated the tasks a few days later to establish whether the new vocabulary had been retained in long-term memory. Outcomes & Results: All of the participants demonstrated some ability to learn the new vocabulary (both novel word forms and novel word meanings), with scores ranging from 15% to 99% on the various assessments. At the follow-up session, the ten participants retained between 49% and 83% of their previous scores. Conclusions: This study has important implications for aphasia rehabilitation as it has shown that people with aphasia have the potential to learn new linguistic material, even in the presence of severe language impairments. This capacity could be exploited in therapy. Previously known words could be taught as new. Pre-therapy assessment of the person with aphasia's learning capacity and style would promote individually-tailored learning experiences and so, potentially, more effective therapy and better clinical outcomes.Item The incidence of cases of aphasia following first stroke referred to speech and language therapy services in Scotland(2009) Law, J.; Rush, R.; Pringle, A.; Irving, A.; Huby, G.; Smith, M.; Conochie, D.; Haworth, C.; Burston, A.Background: Key to the provision of appropriate services is an understanding of the number of cases in a given population. This study examined the incidence of aphasia following first ever stroke. It was part of a larger study, the Aphasia in Scotland Study, which examined the provision of services for people with aphasia in Scotland. Aims: The present study examines the incidence of aphasia referred to speech and language therapy services in people who have experienced their first ever stroke. The specific questions addressed were: What is the incidence of aphasia following first ever stroke? What is the percentage of aphasia following first ever stroke? What are the crude figures for aphasia following first ever stroke by age? What are the crude figures for aphasia following first ever stroke by gender? What are the crude figures for aphasia following first ever stroke by severity? Methods & Procedures: All 14 health boards in Scotland were approached but only 3, NHS Borders, Orkney, and Shetland, were able to provide the level of information required. Respondents were asked to provide information about the age and gender and level of communication need of referred cases over a given year. Outcomes & Results: Results suggested that the incidence of aphasia following first ever stroke was found to be 54, 57, and 77.5 per 100,000, for NHS Borders, Orkney, and Shetland respectively. This is slightly higher than in other comparable studies. The percentage of new cases of aphasia following a first ever stroke across NHS Borders, Orkney, and Shetland was 19, 22, and 34% respectively. The variability across the three sites is probably a function of the potential effect of small changes in the relatively low numbers. The majority of cases were, unsurprisingly, over 65 years of age but a substantial minority-17% (Shetland), 26% (Borders) and 36% (Orkney)-were below 65 years of age. One third of new cases resulted in severe aphasia. Although the proportions of men and women with aphasia were similar, women tended to be older at the point at which they experienced their first stroke. Conclusions: The results are discussed in terms the practicalities of this sort of data collection exercise and the implications of the results for service delivery. There is a need for comparable local data collection exercises tied in to current epidemiological studies.