Radio Report Features MossRehab’s Aphasia Center

Public radio station WHYY recently took an in-depth look into aphasia that featured interviews with experts from MossRehab’s Aphasia Center and members of its “Conversation Cafes.”

“While there are no guarantees about where you will end up in your recovery, opportunities for rehabilitation and opportunities for improving and increasing communication skills are lifelong,” Aphasia Center Director Sharon Antonucci, PhD, told the radio show The Pulse. Antonucci emphasized that recovery from aphasia can continue years after a stroke. Continue Reading

Aphasia Center Receives Donor Gift

Two donors, Stewart and Sally Eisenberg, have decided to endow the Reta’s Games Group at the MossRehab Aphasia Center, in honor of their family matriarch, Reta Eisenberg.

Reta has been a tireless advocate for families living with aphasia for almost 30 years. She was instrumental in the founding of the Aphasia Center in 1996 after witnessing the impact aphasia had on her husband, Marty, prior to his death. Like others struggling with aphasia, Marty was unable to speak in full sentences, read a book, write his name, express basic needs such as hunger, and would use the wrong words or forget words when communicating – including the names of their children. Continue Reading

Living Well with Aphasia (Volume 2)

What are some ways to practice spelling with aphasia?

Relearn important words, like family names.

Have someone write them for you, then practice. A lot.

First copy, then try to remember without the example.

Activities for aphasia groups (vol. 1): Semantic Feature Analysis

Semantic feature analysis (SFA) is a procedure used to train people to produce semantic information when they have difficulty accessing the specific word or label they want to say. Training typically involves auditory and visual cueing to facilitate provision of particular pieces of information. A typical visual cue might look something like this.

Living Well with Aphasia (Volume 1)

What can you do if your benefits have ended?

Look for community aphasia centers

Some, like MossRehab Aphasia Center, offer activities and education programs

Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute also has research opportunities

Some centers offer all-day activities

Welcome to the MossRehab Aphasia Center Blog!

We are very pleased to announce the launch of the MossRehab Aphasia Center Blog. We hope to serve as a resource to people with aphasia and co-survivors, as well as to clinicians and students.

We have several series planned, including Living Well With Aphasia, Aphasia Group Activities, and Aphasia Spotlight (aphasia in the news / recent aphasia research). Continue Reading