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Running head: APHASIC PATIENT COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES
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APHASIC PATIENT COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES
Aphasic Patient Communication Techniques
Graduate Project
Dannyel M. Smith
Georgia Southern University
Communicating with the Aphasic Patient
Aphasic patients have something to say, and it?s time they were heard. Imagine one day you are sick and because of your illness and you can no longer express your thoughts. Normal words that you once knew are suddenly out of reach, or you feel as if you are speaking correctly yet no one understands. What do you do? Where do you go for help, and how will you communicate again? These are the concerns of an aphasic patient, and these are the problems we need to address when achieving patient
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To help facilitate this communication NPs are required to educate patients and caregivers in a culturally congruent, age appropriate manner. Caifiero (2013) found that increasing NPs knowledge of communication techniques and strategies improves patient education and patient outcomes. This means that graduate programs and continuing education for NPs should increase emphasis on patient centered communication techniques to promote patient understanding of education provided. Research reveals a lack of communication technique utilization and communication education …show more content…
for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) assessment in people with aphasia is the approach developed by Garrett and Lasker (2005a). The assessment focuses on what the patient can do and what they might be able to do with support (Zangari, 2013). The survey is short and asks about patient preferences and assists in creating communication strategies (Zangari, 2013). Garrett and Lasker (2005b) created multiple free screening tools another being the Scanning/Visual Field/Attention Screening Task which uses a series of repetitive words to assess the patient attention. Along with this assessment Garrett and Lasker (2005a) created the AAC-Aphasia Categories of Communication Checklist, which is done by observing the person with aphasia during Needs Assessment, Impairment Testing, AAC Skills Assessment and in functional activities when possible (Zanagri, 2013). The checklist evaluates partner dependent communicators and those able to communicate independently (Zangari, 2013). The NP can utilize many of these tools in practice to assist in assessment of communication
The two types of aphasia discussed in class is non-fluent aphasia and fluent aphasia. Aphasia can occur when there is damage to the left hemisphere of the brain, which is the language center of the brain. People with non-fluent aphasia will say or sign random words, there will be little or no function words/signs, similar to the telegraphic stage of language development. People with fluent aphasia will be able to produce sentences with function words, but the sentences will contain miss-selected words/signs.
From watching video one “Gladys Wilson and Naomi Feil”, I learned a few things, for example there is more than one way to communicated with and elder who has lost their ability to communicate with words. From the link of “Alzheimer’s Foundation of America” under the category of symptoms Aphasia which is inability to communicated. The older people grow the more health issues they grow as well, which may lead them to feel lonely, and afraid. From video one Naomi Feil taught me to understand that by being with an elder and communicating more often can reduce their fear and depression. Having friends and family or even volunteer’s spend a few minutes or hour of their time can be live changing to an elder.
In the article “Time to learn: Understanding patient-centered care,” Rinchen Pelzang clarifies not only what patient-centered care means but what it looks like when implemented. These clarifications are necessary because although most healthcare setting advocate patient-centered care, with no clear definition. Pelzang mentions this as one of the most prominent barriers to PCC, the misinterpretation of the concept. In order to combat this barrier proper education and emphasis on communication are needed. When this isn’t the case, “the failure to recognize nurse-patient communication as an essential component of nursing care is the greatest barrier to effective communication” (Pelzang, 2010). Collaborative care and
...., Johnson, D., & Thomas, C. M. (2009). The sbar communication technique: teaching nursing students professional communication skills. Nurse Educator, 34(4), 176-180.
...ook at the effect that these variables had on measures of language impairment in people with stroke-induced aphasia. This study also supported the idea that an increased intensity of therapy was associated with improvements of language impairment.
Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that disrupts communication and it can deteriorate a person’s coping potential and quality of life (Parr, 2001) which involve damage to the parts of brain that contain language (ASHA, 2013). Statistics from United States indicated around 25-40% of stroke survivors developed aphasia (National Association of Aphasia, NAA, 2013). Aphasia will affect both the ability to produce or comprehend spoken language and written language while intelligence is left intact (NAA, 2013). In US, it is found that the most common cause of aphasia is stroke (85%) and others including Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), brain tumor or other degenerative diseases (NAA, 2013).
Jasmin, Luc. "Communicating with Someone with Aphasia." nlm.nih.gov. Ed. David Zieve. Medline Plus, 22 May 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) is assistive technology in which it attempts to compensate (either temporarily or permanently) for the impairment & disability patterns of individuals with sever expressive communication disorders (person w/sever speech-language and writing impairments) (ASHA, 1989). When we look towards an AAC device we should focus on a device that is multi-modal and uses the individual’s full communication capabilities, this may include residual speech or vocalizations, gestures or signs and aided communication. While Augmentative refers to supporting existing communication, Alternative replaces unintelligible or nonexistent speech or wr...
Communication is cited as a contributing factor in 70% of healthcare mistakes, leading to many initiatives across the healthcare settings to improve the way healthcare professionals communicate. (Kohn, 2000.)
As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, People become less able to carry out usual functions and activities. This is due to the death of large number of brain cells. One of the functions impaired by the disease is communication skill. Since people with AD have trouble remembering things, communication is hard for them. It may be hard for them to find words or forget what they want to say. When talking, the disease also causes people to talk without train of thought. The listening role is also affected by the disease. People can have problems with understanding what words mean, paying attention during long conversations and even find it very hard to block out backgr...
Communication encompasses a wide range of processes such as the exchange of information, listening, posing of questions (Fleischer et al., 2009) or use of body language. In a healthcare environment where there are constant interactions among nurses, doctors, patients and other health professionals, professional and effective communication is important in ensuring high quality healthcare standards and meeting the individual needs of patients.
Eisenson, J. (1954). Examining for aphasia : a manual for the examination of aphasia and related disturbances. New York: Psychological Corporation.
Three subtypes are recognized, frontal or behavioural (FvFTD), temporal aphasic or Semantic dementia (SD), and progressive aphasia (PA). Variations are seen in cognitive damage, and the regions of the brain found to be affected. Prognosis is poor, seventy-five percent of patients die within six years of diagnosis (Hodges et al. 2003). Symptoms are related to behavioural, cognitive and neurological changes. Diagnostic procedures include neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological assessments, neuroimaging studies and a behavioral
Salonen, L. (2013). L. S. Vygotsky 's psychology and theory of learning applied to the rehabilitation of aphasia: A developmental and systemic view. Aphasiology, 27(5), 615-635. doi:10.
The introduction paragraph gives information on communication and the impact that it has on patient-nurse relationships. It gives the reader an understanding of what is involved in true communication and how that it is a fundamental part of nursing and skills all nurses need. It leads those interested in delivering quality nursing to read on. Showing us the significance that communication makes in the