Grandpa Melvin Update

Grandpa Melvin had a CT scan done that showed a Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction (MCAI). The main symptom he has is Wernicke's aphasia (impairment of language ability). People with this type of aphasia can speak with normal grammar, syntax, rate, intonation and stress, but their language content is incorrect. They may use the wrong words, insert nonexistent words into speech, or string normal words together randomly. They however retain the ability to sing or to recite something memorized.In some cases, they are completely at loss and don’t understand the spoken language. People with Wernicke’s aphasia generally speak in uninterrupted, long sentences. The words, however, used are mostly made-up or unnecessary. The patients have difficulty in understanding other’s speech. Also, patients with Wernicke’s aphasia have an abnormal reading ability. Even though they retain their writing ability, what they really write can be illegible.

In order to understand spoken language your brain has to perform the following jobs:

• Recognize the sounds as spoken language
• Hold the spoken sounds in a temporary memory file
• Separate the speech sounds into individual units (vowels and consonants)
• Put them in the correct order to create larger sound symbols (words)
• Apply meaning to each word
• Apply meaning to the whole group of words (sentences)

Melvin will be going home today and will have speech therapy. The primary focus is on making use of the retained language abilities and emphasizing learning to use other forms of communication. This will compensate for the lost language abilities.
Family members can help the aphasic patient by:
Simplify language - use short sentences with basic words
Slow down the rate of your speech
Use pauses between words
Try to eliminate any distractions (like a television or radio)
Include the person with aphasia in your conversations
Try not to correct the person's speech
Be patient - give plenty of time for responses
Communication comes in many forms: drawing, pointing, gesturing, and writing.
These are some common examples of types of speech therapy he might receive.