York-Durham Aphasia Centre joins March of Dimes Canada to promote Aphasia Awareness

Almost everyone knows what a stroke is and about the physical disabilities that may arise post-stroke. But very few people know about aphasia, a speech and language disorder which often results from a brain injury. Aphasia profoundly changes the most basic of human skills – the ability to communicate with others. Estimates of the number of individuals living with aphasia run at 40,000 in Ontario alone. If you add the number of family members and care-givers who assume the duty of supporting and caring for people affected by aphasia, you are now talking about a condition that directly impacts on the lives of potentially hundreds of thousands of Ontarians.

Aphasia occurs when the language centre of the brain is damaged as a result of stroke, head injury or brain disease. People with acquired aphasia continue to be intelligent individuals who know what they want to say, but have trouble getting the words out and/or making sense of the words they see or hear. These resulting communication problems affect well-being and self-confidence and often lead to depression, social isolation or markedly restricted community participation. Individuals with aphasia rarely fully recover their ability to communicate and need to learn creative ways to do what used to be as natural as breathing.

While many Ontario families living with chronic aphasia have limited options for support and assistance, residents of York and Durham regions and Peterborough are fortunate to have access to the York-Durham Aphasia Centre (YDAC) which recently became one of March of Dimes Canada’s family of services. This non-profit community agency offers services in seven locations - Maple, Stouffville, Newmarket, Whitby, Peterborough, Richmond Hill and Markham. There are currently over 200 individuals enrolled in the programs available through YDAC.

Community involvement is the name of the game at YDAC. Highly trained volunteers and students, in partnership with a team of speech-language pathologists, communicative disorder assistants and social workers, provide a range of services designed specifically to assist individuals with aphasia and other communication disorders to more effectively adapt to the condition. Program participants learn to develop new strategies for communicating within an “aphasia-friendly” environment where they can interact with and learn from others experiencing the same difficulties as themselves. The net result is a new group of friends, a new set of communication strategies, and renewed self-esteem and confidence.

While core-funding is provided by the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care through March of Dimes Canada, extra dollars are raised to enrich programs offered. Every June, during National Aphasia Awareness Month, YDAC’s program sites plan and execute a fund-raising campaign, reaching out to their surrounding communities for financial support, while raising awareness and understanding about aphasia.

Events are scheduled into June and will be listed at the YDAC website and the March of Dimes Canada website. Everyone in the community is welcome to participate and to learn how to support people living with aphasia.

Aphasia is a language disorder that can impair a person's speech and make it hard to understand the speech of others. It can also impair reading and writing abilities. Aphasia is a common result of a stroke, head injury or brain disease. Ironically, many people know of someone who has aphasia but they have never heard of the word 'Aphasia'.

At York-Durham Aphasia Centre (YDAC) we offer services and programs for people touched by aphasia and related communication disorders. Our group communication programs offer clients a way to re-enter community life, one step at a time. We reach out to local citizens and professionals to encourage their support and involvement. On a wider scale, our agency promotes aphasia awareness, education and research. YDAC helps to knit these local and wider-ranging groups and interests into a broad aphasia community.

So who is part of the aphasia community?

• Your husband, who has difficulty speaking after his stroke
• Your wife, who is looking for a volunteer challenge
• Your daughter, who is studying to be a Speech Language Pathologist
• Your neighbour, who is a caregiver to someone with Aphasia

Our website provides you with glimpse into our aphasia community. We hope you find it interesting and informative.