Developing a Protocol for Measuring Participation of Persons with Aphasia

Abstract

For persons with aphasia communication (activity & participation) and context (personal & environmental factors) are very important. Hence, the current investigation was aimed to develop a protocol for measuring participation in life situations in person with aphasia and administrator of this protocol on persons with aphasia and their caregivers. Development of a protocol for participation of person with aphasia was carried out in two stages. First the protocol was developed. Which consisted of 4 domains i.e. understanding and expression, general tasks and demands, interpersonal interactions and relationships and facilitator and barriers. Further, it was administered on a total of twenty persons with aphasia and their family member/ caregiver. The results indicated that participation in terms of various contexts was greatest for persons with aphasia demonstrating mild communicative deficits and less associated problems. Across each domain, there was significant correlation among the responses of persons with aphasia and their caregivers. Duration of therapy played a significant role in enhancing participation of persons with aphasia across various contexts. Comprehension and expression ability was reported to be average among persons with aphasia. 40-50 % of the time persons with aphasia required help to understand and express the conversation. As result of stroke persons with aphasia loose almost 50-60% of the ability to carry out activities of daily living depending on the type of aphasia. At work place only 40% of the persons with aphasia could return. Majority of caregivers who supported persons with aphasia in various conditions were women. Thus, the results of the study do provide a conclusive base that as in persons with aphasia the activity and participation is affected in various situations which varies from the activities of daily living to the vocation. Hence, it is very imperative for speech-language pathologists to measure participation of persons with aphasia which in turn, will help in planning treatment