JBMJournal of Biosciences and Medicines2327-5081Scientific Research Publishing10.4236/jbm.2015.312002JBM-62015ArticlesBiomedical&Life Sciences Analysis of Activities of Adults with Aphasia at Community-Based Rehabilitation Training KiyoshiNosu1AyukoShigeta2Shizuoka Prefectural Shimada Technical High School, 216 Achigaya, Shimada-shi, Shuzuoka 437-8541, JapanTokai University, 4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa 259-1292, Japan18122015031271221 August 2015accepted 11 December 18 December 2015© Copyright 2014 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. 2014This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Aphasia is a higher brain dysfunction that affects the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. The purpose of this research is to establish support guidelines based on a questionnaire survey and a language activity analysis of rehabilitation training so that volunteers can more easily assist disabled persons with aphasia. The focus of this study was the non-profit community-based intervention group Yokohama Aphasia Partner Group, which consists of members with aphasia, their families, speech-language-and-hearing therapists, psychiatric social workers, and volunteers. The following results were obtained. (1) Members with aphasia participate in the Partner Group because they can meet others with aphasia on a regular basis as well as participate in the aphasia rehabilitation program with the recovery of language functions. In addition to medical treatment, the community-based support, which improves the environment and other life contextual factors, is important for rehabilitation. (2) An individual with aphasia shows different language actions, and so an individually different support system in accordance with language activity is necessary.

Aphasia Rehabilitation Community-Based-Support/Care Language Activity1. Introduction

Aphasia is a higher brain dysfunction. The National Association of Aphasia defines aphasia as follows: “Aphasia is an impairment of language affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. Aphasia is always due to injury to the brain―most commonly from a stroke, particularly in older individuals.” [1]

In addition to medical treatment, speech-language pathologists usually encourage the creation of communication-friendly environments to enable everyday participation of their aphasic clients. The results of surveys report the difficult environments of people with aphasia. For example, Howe et al. conducted interviews to investigate the environmental factors that hinder or support the community participation of adults with aphasia [2]. They identified a wide range of barriers and facilitators and several practices. Aftonomos et al. reported that community-based aphasia treatment programs routinely produce results comparable or superior to those in previously reported research [3]. These previous reports, however, described the limited aspects of the participants’ activities in non-profit community-based intervention programs.

The purpose of this research is to obtain support guidelines so that volunteers in a non-profit com-munity- based invention program can more easily and effectively assist adults with aphasia. Two investigations were carried out to achieve this goal. One is a questionnaire survey given to program participants or their supporting families. The other is a morphological analysis of participants’ speech at monthly meetings.

2. Research Background2.1. Community-Based Support Activity

An aphasic patient usually visits the hospital at a certain interval after the initial discharge from the hospital. He or she typically lives in a community with his or her family. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is a classification of health and health-related domains [4]. The ICF looks beyond the purely medical or biological conceptualization of dysfunction by taking into account other critical aspects of a disability. Consequently, the impact of the environment and other contextual factors on the functioning of an individual or a population can be considered, analyzed, and recorded. This means, in addition to medical treatment, the community-based support, which improves the environment and other contextual life factors, aids rehabilitation because the support can significantly influence an individual’s participation. Measures of both language impairment and functional communication can be broadly, positively, and significantly influenced by therapy services that are delivered to persons with aphasia in community-based programs.

 2.2. Activity of Yokohama Aphasic Partner Group

The researched organization, the Yokohama Aphasia Partner Group in Yokohama City, consists of members with aphasia, their families, speech therapist (ST), psychiatric social workers, and volunteers in Yokohama City [5]. The members with aphasia, after the onset, received hospital treatment for a period of time and were then discharged from the hospital. After being discharged, they lived in the community. The aphasia group has a meeting every month. Currently, 20 adults with aphasia are registered as members. Most members are in their 50 s or 60 s, and usually 10 - 15 members attend each monthly meeting. Table 1 shows a typical program of a monthly meeting. The meetings are usually held from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on the second Sunday of the month. Program-1, “Warm-up physical exercise and vocal training”, and Program-3, “Language game for training”, are conducted by speech therapists (ST) with the support of volunteers. Much time is usually assigned to Program-3, “Individual oral presentation of a recent activity”, with the support of other members with aphasia, speech therapists (ST), and volunteers.

The programs and other discussion results are recorded and edited as a Monthly Group Record. The record is

 References30th Anniversary Record of Yokohama Aphasia Partner Group (2015). (In Japanese)Yokohama Shitsugosho Tomono-kai (Yokohama Aphasia Partner Group in Yokohama City). (In Japanese) http://www.kounan-portal.com/3935/report.htmlWorld Health Organization, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/icf_more/en/Aftonomos, L.B., Appelbaum, J.S. and Steele, R.D. (1999) Improving Outcomes for Persons with Aphasia in Advanced Community-Based Treatment Programs. Stroke, 30, 1370-1379. http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/01.STR.30.7.1370Howea, Linda E. Worralla and Louise M. H. Hicksona, (2008) Interviews with People with Aphasia: Environmental Factors that Influence Their Community Participation, Aphasiology, 22, 1092-1120. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02687030701640941National Aphasia Association, Definition. http://www.aphasia.org/aphasia-definitions/