Aphasia Awareness Day in Mayo General Hospital on Wednesday 25 June

The HSE Mayo Community Services and the Mayo General Hospital Speech and Language Therapy Department will host an Aphasia Awareness Day on Wednesday 25 June from 10am to 4pm in the lobby of Mayo General Hospital.    
 
Aphasia is a communication disorder that can occur after a stroke or head injury. It can affect a person’s ability to speak or understand what others say to them.  People with aphasia can think clearly but can have difficulty getting messages in and out.  Aphasia does not affect a person’s intelligence. 
 
Alanna Ní Mhíocháin, Senior Speech and Language Therapist, Mayo General Hospital describes the impact of aphasia and says, “Aphasia affects a significant number of people in Mayo every year. It happens very suddenly and can have a massive impact on a person’s life.  The person with aphasia can work on their language skills but it is just as important to train family and friends on their communication skills – it takes two to talk!”.
 
Barbara Ginley, Senior Speech and Language Therapist, Ballina added, “The aim of the Aphasia Day is to raise awareness of the kinds of communication difficulties a person can face after a stroke and to provide the public with some tips on how to be better communicators”.
 
The Aphasia Awareness Day will also mark the introduction of a Conversation Partner Scheme in Mayo. Aisling Farrell, Speech and Language Therapist, Claremorris explained, “We are really excited to launch a Conversation Partner Scheme here in Mayo. We hope to recruit a number of volunteers who we will be training to communicate with people with aphasia.  These volunteers would then visit people on a regular basis and help them have a conversation.
 
“The Conversation Partner Scheme is up and running in other counties and has positively impacted the lives of people with aphasia.  It has been found to reduce social isolation and support participation in community activities.”
 
Anyone interested in the Aphasia Awareness Day or the Conversation Partner Scheme should contact the speech and language therapy department on 094-9042239.