Expressive Aphasia is a neurological condition that impairs your speech and communication skills. Caused by damage to the part of the brain that controls language, aphasia makes it difficult or impossible to speak clearly, read, write, or follow conversations.
People who suffer from aphasia find it very frustrating. It’s important for friends and family members to treat them with patience and sensitivity.
Although symptoms of aphasia may improve over time, patients are unlikely to make a complete recovery. But there are treatments and strategies to help patients and their loved ones cope with aphasia.
What Causes Aphasia?
Aphasia is typically caused by some type of disease, injury, or medical condition. The leading causes of aphasia are strokes and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Additional medical conditions that may lead to aphasia include brain tumors, infection, and degenerative disease.
Many cases of aphasia are the result of a TBI, which is damaged brain tissue caused by a sudden blow to the head. In a recent year, about 220,000 people were hospitalized for brain injuries according to the CDC. People with aphasia are often the victims of automobile crashes.
Additional causes of TBI-related aphasia include:
- Truck crashes
- Motorcycle crashes
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slip-and-falls
- Bicycle accidents
- Product liability
- Negligent security attacks
Symptoms of Aphasia
If someone you know is suffering from expressive aphasia, it may have a profound effect on how they process language. They will likely have difficulty speaking and participating in conversations, and they may lose the ability to read and write.
Frequent symptoms of aphasia include:
- Inability to understand spoken words
- Difficulty remembering words
- Trouble pronouncing words
- Using unrecognizable words
- Speaking in incomplete sentences
- Extreme difficulty with reading and writing
How You Can Help the Person You Love
Communicating with others is a crucial part of our everyday lives. People who suffer from aphasia may suddenly find that their communication skills are significantly diminished. This can be extremely discouraging, and it often leads to anger and frustration.
Rehabilitation and speech therapy can improve the patient’s condition over time, but most patients with aphasia will never fully regain their language skills. Counseling may help patients adjust to their situation.
There are many things that friends and family can do to help reduce frustration and prevent people with aphasia from feeling left out, including:
- Allow them to use gestures and point at objects
- Don’t have too many people speaking at once
- Give them time to respond
- Include them in conversations
- Reduce distractions
How Your Attorney Can Help
If you were harmed in an automobile crash or any other type of accident caused by another person’s careless behavior, your personal injury attorney can help. Our team at The Bussey Law Firm, P.C. will investigate the accident and file a claim against anyone whose negligent behavior contributed to your injuries.
A patient with aphasia requires extensive long-term medical care. But insurance companies make their profits by paying out as little in claims as they can get away with. Your personal injury lawyer will negotiate with the insurance company, and if they refuse to make a reasonable offer, The Bussey Law Firm, P.C. is always prepared to take them to court.
Accident victims may receive the following types of compensation in a personal injury claim:
- Current and future medical bills
- Rehabilitation and speech therapy
- Lost wages
- Reduced quality of life
- Reduced earning potential
- Transportation to therapy sessions
- Physical and emotional distress
Is Someone You Love Suffering from Aphasia?
Timothy R. Bussey has been recognized by Super Lawyers and Martindale-Hubbell for outstanding service to our clients, and he’s rated “10 Superb” by Avvo.
To learn more, contact The Bussey Law Firm, P.C. at (719) 475-2555 and schedule a FREE consultation today. We never stop fighting for our clients.
