Thursday, March 31, 2011

Espresso

I make the espresso in the morning.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Paradise


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Fighter

Mary and I watched the movie The Fighter last night. We liked it. The main character is Mark Walhberg. Mark Walhberg was a musician in the 1990's Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Sudoku


I am solving the puzzles. The beginner Sudoku is easy. The easy, medium, hard, and expert are difficult. I solved the two puzzles. My sister likes Sudoku puzzles extremely. They stimulate the brain. My wife Mary showed me the puzzles. They are good for brain recovery.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Shade


I watched the movie Shade last night. The movie is okay. The actor and actress are a lot of famous ones.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Chefs

Ed and I are cooking in the kitchen at Nazareth.


Friday, March 25, 2011

Pittsford Wegmans

Chris, Mary, and I ate lunch at the Wegmans in Pittsford. We enjoyed today.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Nazareth College

Clinician, Ed, and I is talked the meal. The vegetarian meal is two weeks in the cafeterian. The two students will writing the ingredent. We will tasting the meal. Escarole and Beans is ingredients olive oil, escarole, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, cannellini beans, and fresh parsley. Escarole and Beans is easy.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Sneaky Cat


Murin is sneaky.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Cat Burglar


Monday, March 21, 2011

Anti Nuclear Plants


Sunday, March 20, 2011

Unstoppable

Mary and I watched the movie Unstoppable last night. We liked it. Chris Pine and Denzel Washington are good actors. The true story of a runaway freight train.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Miama Motel


The motel is in Cananaigua, NY.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Windmills


Mary and I went to Holland!! We are joking. We drove to Gevena yesterday

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Hereafter


Mary and I watched the movie Hereafter yesterday afternoon. We like the movie it is okay.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Haveli Indian Cuisine



Jennifer, Mary, and I ate the Indian food. The food is certainly good. The restaurant is locate on Jefferson Road. My plate is vegetarian. The name is unknown. Rice, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, mushroom, and spices. The food is certainly hot. Mary ate rice and lamb with sauce. She liked it. Jennifer ate rice, spinach and cheese in the sauce, and naan bread. She liked it too.


Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Waterfall

The waterfall in Honeoye Falls.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Understanding Aphasia

Understanding Aphasia
Last Updated: January 18, 2011

View as web page


Table of Contents (Hide)
• It’s on the Tip of Your Tongue
• What is Aphasia?
• What is the Treatment?
• How Can I Help?
• Clarify Communication
• Promote Message Expression
• The Bottom Line
• Resources
• Endnotes
It’s on the Tip of Your Tongue
You’ve probably experienced this moment:

You turn to introduce a friend, and her name escapes you. It’s right on the tip of your tongue, but you can’t say anything.
This situation is perplexing and could be even frightening. For most of us, it happens rarely. Imagine, though, if this experience was common for you. How would you feel if you lived with “tip of the tongue” events everyday? Some people do. This is called anomia, and is often one of the symptoms of aphasia, a type of speech disorder1.

What is Aphasia?
More than 1 million Americans have been diagnosed with aphasia2 (pronounced uh-fey-zhu)3, a disorder that affects an individual’s ability to process and use language. Aphasia is caused by an injury to the brain1, with strokes being the most common cause. There are actually several types of aphasia. Expressive aphasia is when an individual struggles with saying words and speaking in complete sentences. Receptive aphasia is when an individual has difficulty in understanding what is said. Many people with aphasia have a combination of expressive and receptive challenges in their use of language1.

It’s important to remember that aphasia is not an intellectual deficit, but is linked to the ability to use the symbols of communication.

One way of appreciating the effects of aphasia is to think about it in terms of communicating in a country where you do not speak the language. When the person with aphasia is speaking, the words you hear may sound like nouns and verbs but you may not recognize them (similar to a foreign language). For the person with aphasia, it may seem like you are speaking in a foreign language. Although some words may make sense because of your use of tone and pitch or other communication cues, such as facial expressions, other words and parts of the message may be misinterpreted. This breakdown in communication may become frustrating to both you and the person with aphasia, as s/he is unable to communicate clearly or understand a message completely.

For a better understanding of aphasia, imagine that one of your older adult relatives had a stroke and has been diagnosed with aphasia. “Aunt Stella” exemplifies a highly independent older adult in all aspects of her life. You and your aunt have lived in the same community for many years and you've admired your aunt’s free spirit and desire to maintain her independence as she advanced in age.

Aunt Stella returned home after her stroke and has done exceptionally well. As the primary family member in the community, you “check in” with her each week to offer your assistance. Today, Aunt Stella is frustrated about newly prescribed medications and changes in other prescriptions since her stroke. She has questions about the drugs' purpose and dosage. She hopes you will accompany her to the pharmacist to clarify these issues. Here are some ways that Aunt Stella’s symptoms of aphasia (primarily the expressive type) may affect your interaction.

In conveying her gratitude for your help and concern about her medications, Aunt Stella's speech pattern is deliberate, slow and painstaking. She tends to telegraph the key words (e.g., “Thank you…help for me…pills and side effect…need to know it”).

Aunt Stella has trouble finding the right word and sometimes substitutes a wrong word when asking you to clarify her dosage from the information sheet. For example, instead of asking, “What are the side effects?” she said, “What is it… sight effect?” She struggles with trying to say words with difficult sound sequences ("prescription" and "blood pressure") and words with many syllables like "pharmacist" or "medication." Although Aunt Stella typically answers "yes" or "no" questions accurately, there are some misunderstandings as you discuss details (for example, she mistook dosing frequency with the number of pills she takes at each dosage).

What is the Treatment?
Treatment for aphasia will differ, depending upon the type of aphasia, the severity, and the individual life situation of the person with aphasia.

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) would offer Aunt Stella and the family recommendations for treatment based upon her individual needs and personal goals1. For example, the SLP might encourage the use of gestures or external aids (such as a book with written words she can point to) to promote her verbal expression or as an alternate means to provide a way to express words that are difficult to say4. The SLP might also offer suggestions to family members and others in Aunt Stella’s social circle to facilitate communication5. All treatments are designed to increase Aunt Stella’s ability to function within the context of her lifestyle.

How Can I Help?
Showing respect and responding in encouraging ways is one way that you can help. Dr. Jane Mertz Garcia of Kansas State University, offers practical advice on how you might do this. Clarifying your message and promoting the expression of communication will help to create a welcoming and positive environment when you interact with Aunt Stella.

Clarify Communication
There are at least three basic ways that you can clarify your communication to help your family member with aphasia6.

First, you need to adapt your communication style. By changing how you say things, you can help increase understanding. Make sure that you actually have the time to effectively communicate. By slowing down and pausing between phrases, you are giving the person with aphasia more time to process words and intent. It’s also important to focus on one topic at a time. For example, you might begin your conversation by saying, “Let’s talk about your medications. I know your doctor prescribed a new one." When you do this, you are focusing your conversation, which gives Aunt Stella a chance to place the conversation in context. Then, when you are ready to move on to the next topic, such as finding a time to meet with the pharmacist, you need to alert Aunt Stella to this change. For example, you might say, "I understand your concerns about medications. Let’s find a time to go see your pharmacist. When do you want to go?" This gives your family member time to prepare for the next topic. All of these tips can increase your family member’s ability to understand what you want.

Second, you need to adjust what you say. Complex sentences during conversation may be very difficult to follow and understand for a person with aphasia. You should be direct and to the point with your language. This means speaking in succinct sentences. For example, avoid statements like, "It might be hard to see the pharmacist before we go to the post office," (a sentence that includes many components that must be reordered and quickly processed to understand). Instead, you might say, "Let’s go to the post office. Then, we’ll stop at the pharmacist."

Third, you need to make accommodations by communicating without language. In reality, much of your communication is non-verbal, so you can use some of these techniques to support Aunt Stella. When interacting with her, you should do so face-to-face, allowing observation of facial and bodily expressions to enhance the meaning of the message. You also can write things down as you talk and use props to enhance understanding. Visual aids can be a great tool to communicate without relying on words. For example, have the medications nearby when you are talking about them. It may be hard for Aunt Stella to read the label information, but the color and size of the medication might be easy to identify. Also, a calendar is a helpful aid when discussing events such as a date to visit the pharmacist. Writing it down also provides a means for Aunt Stella to share the information with others.

Promote Message Expression
Clarifying communication is all about how you can support Aunt Stella's efforts to communicate. Here are some ideas to help her express herself6.

First, if the message is unclear, ask her to demonstrate what she is trying to say through physical communication. For example, Aunt Stella might be able to point to what she is unable to say such as identifying a specific pill bottle or pointing to a specific day on her calendar when she can speak to her pharmacist.

Second, you can become aware of how you use questions. Before asking a question, first identify the broad topic, so that Aunt Stella knows where the conversation is headed. Although it’s natural to ask open-ended questions, these might be difficult for the family member with aphasia to answer. Instead, ask questions that allow a person to answer with a yes or no response. This might take some extra time, but if you ask the right questions, you should be able to figure out the answer. For example, instead of asking "What kind of side effects do you have and when did they begin?" (an open-ended question), you might ask, "Is the medicine bothering you?...Are you having side effects?...Did they start recently...after the stroke?"

The Bottom Line
Sometimes the difficulty lies in how an individual understands communication, and sometimes it lies in how an individual is able to express herself. Sometimes a person may have difficulty with both understanding and expression. Important techniques for communicating with individuals with aphasia include knowing how to adapt your communication style, how to adjust what you say and how to make accommodations. You also know that there are ways to physically communicate and to ask questions that promote expression. Above all, you’ve learned that individuals with aphasia can continue to contribute to their communities, with support and acceptance from those around them.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Savages


I watched the movie Savages last night. The movie was pretty good. Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman are soso actor's.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Revolutionary Road

I watched the movie Revolutionary Road last night. I didn't like it. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are stars. Revolutionary Road is a love story. Leonardo DiCaprio is a good actor in The Departed. Kate Winslet is a actress that I didn't see her in another movie.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Chinese Restaurant


Mary and I ate Chinese food today. Mary ordered roast pork lo mein. I ordered vegetable fried rice. We enjoyed it. The fortune cookie is good! The owners are so nice.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Lost Symbol


Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Awake


Mary and I watched the movie Awoke last night. We like it. Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, and Terrence Howard are good stars. The movie was made 2007. Surgeons are scary in real life. 5 stars.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Postcard Killers

I will read the book The Postcard Killers by James Patterson & Liza Marklund tomorrow. I am going to the library to borrow the CD.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Beef Hamburger

Moo!!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Convicts

I watched the movie Convicts tonight. I liked it. Robert Duvall, Lukas Hass, and James Earl Jones where stars. The movie was same in 1991. Lukas Haas was senile.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Persons Unknown

Mary and I watched the movie Persons Unknown last night. We liked it.

Space


Friday, March 4, 2011

Aphasia And Related Neurogenic Language Disorders

I am reading the book pertained the stroke. The book is intresting.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

School Student

I am student in Nazareth clinic.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Red Riding Hood


Mary and I watched the movie Red Riding Hood two days ago. We turned it off 20 minutes in. The movie is boring. The movie was made 1989. The movie 2011 is more of a horror. It's what I hear.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Ocean