Tag: Aphasia

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and Scottish Opera from new partnership to bring the therapeutic benefits of song to those with aphasia

  • Building on Scottish Opera’s ground breaking Breath Cycle project, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is collaborating with the country’s largest performing arts organisation to improve the lives of those living with aphasia, a communication difficulty that is a common effect of strokes
  • A new research report launched earlier this month by CHSS revealed that poor mental health and loneliness are severely impacting people in Scotland living with aphasia

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) and Scottish Opera have joined forces to develop online singing classes for people living with aphasia, which is caused by damage to the part of the brain that controls language, and in some cases leaves some unable to speak at all.​

These new CHSS and Scottish Opera sessions coincide with Aphasia Awareness Month, which runs throughout June. This year’s theme is #AphasiaTogether, emphasising that those with the condition do not need to deal with this on their own.​

This new strand of creative music making with CHSS — Scotland’s largest health charity working to help people with chest, heart and stroke conditions live life to the full — expands upon Scottish Opera’s pioneering Breath Cycle project, designed to support those with a range of conditions affecting lung health.​

Following research and development sessions with medical educators, CHSS staff and people living with aphasia are working with Scottish Opera to provide supported communication and aphasia training, and help deliver the therapeutic singing, song-writing and breath control sessions.

The aim of these workshops is to improve the mental wellbeing and confidence in communication of those with aphasia and respiratory issues including COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), across the country.​

Earlier this month, CHSS launched a report about the impact of aphasia on those living with the condition which revealed that:

  • More than half (52 per cent) of people with aphasia say their condition affects their mental health
  • Nearly half (48 per cent) with aphasia said they experienced loneliness as a result of their condition.
  • 43 per cent of people with aphasia said it impacted on their ability to work as before
  • A third (34 per cent) of people with aphasia reported being treated negatively due to their condition.

CEO of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Jane-Claire Judson, commented: “Working with Scottish Opera to unlock the therapeutic benefits of singing and song-writing to people living with aphasia is a fantastic opportunity to tackle real issues facing people across the country.

“We regularly hear from the people we support that living with a communication difficulty following stroke can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness and have a negative impact on mental health.

“We look forward to bringing people together to experience the joy of singing with others whilst exploring the benefits of singing and song writing to their communication skills.”

Jane Davidson MBE, Director of Outreach & Education at Scottish Opera, said: “Following on from the increased awareness of our Breath Cycle II programme in 2020, which was designed for people living with Long COVID and other respiratory conditions, Scottish Opera is excited to partner with CHSS to support people with aphasia.

“The work that CHSS undertakes each year with hundreds of thousands of Scots has set really high standards in the positive integration of mental health and well-being initiatives with clinical intervention.

“As Scotland’s largest performing arts company, we feel that the values of both our organisations are beautifully aligned in this new collaboration that seeks to enhance the quality of people’s lives across the country.”

Composer Gareth Williams, who along with writer Martin O’Connor, mentored the most recent online song writing Breath Cycle sessions said: “Our encounters with the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland team, and our first conversations with our participants who have aphasia have been so inspiring.

“Our challenge is to help people find and connect with their voices again, both their physical voices and their creative voices. There are incredible stories to tell in this community, and together we will find them and share them through song.”

‘When the Words Away Went’

STROKE ASSOCIATION talks APHASIA

Nearly half Scots have never heard of aphasia, despite 350,000 people living with the condition in the UK.

  • New research from the Stroke Association reveals a huge lack of public awareness and knowledge of aphasia – a language and communication disorder most commonly caused by stroke
  • Of the Scots who have heard of aphasia nearly one in two (46%) are unclear as to what it is
  • Almost two thirds (68%) of Scots lack confidence in spotting the common effects of aphasia. 
  • To address this and raise awareness of aphasia, the charity has produced a documentary ‘When the Words Away Went’ available to watch on
    stroke.org.uk/film or stream on Channel 4 from Friday 26th May

New research from the Stroke Association reveals nearly half of the Scottish  public (45%) have never heard of aphasia*, despite it affecting over 350,000 people in the UK.

Aphasia is a language and communication disorder – with stroke being the biggest cause. The condition often has a profound effect on someone’s ability to speak, read, write and/or use numbers.  There are 128,000 stroke survivors living in Scotland and over a third (40%) will experience aphasia after their stroke. 

The new research* from the UK’s leading stroke charity highlights that most Brits don’t know about the disorder, and the huge impact it has on people’s lives. Moreover, nearly half (46%) of those who have heard of aphasia are unclear as to what it is.  

To help raise awareness of aphasia, the Stroke Association has launched ‘When the Words Away Went’, a documentary about three stroke survivors living with aphasia embarking on their journey to find their voice and rebuild their lives. 

The documentary aims to equip people with the knowledge, understanding and confidence to support those living with aphasia. Currently, most people (72%) lack confidence in recognising its symptoms and less than half of people (42%) would feel confident in communicating with someone with the disorder.

Whilst aphasia does not affect intelligence, the majority of Scots (68%) think being able to speak or communicate well is a sign of intellect, which can create huge barriers for those with aphasia. In fact, a fifth of adults (20%) also admit that, if they met someone who had problems communicating, they would assume that person had a learning difficulty. 

John Watson, Associate Director Scotland of the Stroke Association said: “Aphasia is very common, affecting over a third of stroke survivors, so it’s disheartening to see such low awareness and knowledge of aphasia amongst the general public. 

“Most of us can’t imagine living with aphasia, but it makes everyday tasks like getting on the bus or talking to a friend daunting, made worse by misconceptions that people with aphasia lack intelligence. This can often lead to anxiety and depression, feeling excluded from society and difficulties with personal relationships.

“We want to encourage everyone to watch our new documentary ‘When the Words Away Went’, featuring stories from three inspiring stroke survivors impacted by aphasia, so the public can better understand the condition and become an ally to those affected. Together we can help make the lives of those living with aphasia a little bit easier.” 

The research also highlights other common misconceptions around aphasia including, over a fifth (25%) of Scots Brits believing that aphasia only affects someone’s ability to talk and one in ten people mistakenly thinking that aphasia can’t improve.

Tom Middlemass, 59, from Edinburgh – featuring in the documentary said: “When you have aphasia, you find people shout at you when they talk to you. You get that all the time.  

“People need to know that those with aphasia are not dumb. There’s a person behind that voice who is struggling. It’s very hard to get these words out. It exhausts you.”

“The Stroke Association is here for everyone affected by aphasia, providing support and an important reminder that there is hope. Aphasia can and does improve, and with the right help people with aphasia can live normal lives.”

Watch the ‘When the Words Away Went’ online at stroke.org.uk/film or stream on Channel 4 now.

To find out more about aphasia and how you can support those affected, visit https://www.stroke.org.uk/aphasia.