What People with Aphasia want from their Doctors
When I was new to the field of speech pathology and I worked in large hospitals, I used to assume that all doctors would know how to communicate with people who had aphasia. However, I quickly learned that being a doctor does not equate to having the skills needed for conversing with people who have aphasia. The good news is that communication strategies can be learned.
A study conducted some years ago revealed that people with aphasia and their doctors had similar preferences regarding how they communicated with each other during appointments. However, the study also found that patients with aphasia consistently requested three strategies that their doctors were not using.
Here are three highly requested conversation strategies from people with aphasia that doctors can easily start using today:
Use Visual Aids
Keep a folder with clear images of topics you often discuss with your patients, such as simple anatomy pictures or models. Consider having other basic pictures of common hygiene objects, adaptive equipment, foods, drinks, hobbies, etc. You need to have a variety of images at the ready to cover a range of topics.
Write Key Words or Phrases
Have a legal pad and a sharpie marker on hand to write keywords in bold letters. To save paper, consider reusable tools like a Slant Stand, Jot Board, or Boogie Board. The key here is to keep it simple, write 1-3 words or so to help orient your patient to a new topic in the conversation.
Use Gestures & Facial Expressions
Use hand gestures, facial expressions, or even pantomime in order to assist communication efforts. Be careful with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds to avoid misunderstandings due to cultural differences. A sign/gesture in our culture could mean something entirely different in another culture.
Which of these strategies will you implement in your practice? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. If you have any questions about how to successfully communicate with people who have aphasia, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at Bright Speech.
