Volunteer aphasia group set to expand

Volunteer services will be expanding at Osborne Park Hospital (OPH) next month, with past aphasia patients meeting with current patients from our Stroke Rehabilitation ward to share their experiences to assist others with their recovery.

The volunteers are part of iDecide, an aphasia-based volunteer Consumer Advisory Group formed at OPH in 2021 under the guidance of the OPH Speech Pathology Department.

Aphasia is a condition that occurs as a result of damage to the language centre of the brain with one in three people experiencing aphasia after a stroke.

It can affect a person's ability to communicate, including speech, understanding, reading and writing; it does not affect intelligence.

iDecide group member and former stroke patient Jamie said he was excited at the prospect of expanding the group's services to meet with other patients with aphasia.

“We know what they are going through and can share our experiences,” he said.

“I had a stroke at Charlies in July 2021 and was later transferred to OPH where I was for seven weeks.”

“It's a long road, I couldn't tell I was improving even though I was.”

Speech Pathologist, Rebecca, who helped launch the group, said it was great the service could now expand and assist current patients face-to-face.

“I don't think there's another group like this in WA or even Australia,” Rebecca said.

"It's good for patients to know life does continue."

“It is great how much they want to give back, it's a credit to the members how the group is developing”.

The group currently meet monthly, reviewing printed hospital materials, handouts, posters, videos and wayfinding to ensure it is aphasia-friendly and easy to read.

They have also presented at the Australian Aphasia Association Conference and shared their experiences to speech pathology students at Edith Cowan University.

Jamie said the groups' lived experience, including the different ways aphasia affects them personally, allowed them to provide constructive and tailored advice on a range of material and looked forward to now providing a service directly to patients.