Leonardtown, Maryland (June 14, 2017) – June is National Aphasia Awareness Month and MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital will be offering information sessions Tuesday, June 27, and Thursday, June 29, to help educate individuals about the communication disorder, which affects approximately 2 million Americans.
Aphasia is an acquired condition that impairs a person’s ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence. The most common cause of aphasia is stroke, however, it can also result from head injury, brain tumor or other neurological causes. Individuals with aphasia often have difficulty reading, writing, speaking and/or understanding language.
“Many people do not understand that aphasia is a loss of language, not a loss of intelligence,” said Anna Decker, MS, CCC-SLP, speech language pathologist at MedStar St. Mary’s. “There are strategies available to help those impacted improve their communication.”
Individuals who are interested in learning more about aphasia, may stop by the hospital’s Atrium, which is located inside the Café at Buena Vista, between noon and 1 p.m. June 27 and 29. A speech language pathologist will be available to offer information and talk to individuals about how to help those affected with aphasia.
Visit MedStarStMarys.org for more information about Aphasia.