COMMUNICATION AND COGNITIVE CHANGES

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http://www.unitedstrokealliance.org/

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The following is from the fall Stroke Connection Magazine
http://strokeconnection.strokeassociation.org

COMMON COMMUNICATION AND COGNITIVE CHANGES AFTER STROKE

The brain controls your ability to use language. Speaking, listening and understanding are complex processes. Each involves different parts of the brain. The location of the stroke injury controls the type of communication problem.

Aphasia 

Aphasia is a common communication problem after a stroke. There are three types: expressive, receptive and global. 

• People with expressive (non-fluent) aphasia know what they want to say but have trouble saying it. They can’t find the right words or have trouble “getting the words out.” Or, they may use the wrong words or leave out words without knowing it. 

• People with receptive (fluent) aphasia have trouble understanding words other people speak. They may not understand the order of the words or the relationship between the words. 

• People with global aphasia may be unable to speak, name objects, repeat phrases or follow commands. They also have a hard time understanding what others are saying.

Dysarthria 

Dysarthria affects control of the muscles in the face, tongue and mouth. People with dysarthria may know exactly what they want to say. But they may speak slowly. Their speech may sound slurred, muffled, hoarse or nasal.

Apraxia 

Apraxia of speech affects the ability to speak. People with apraxia have trouble connecting speech messages from their brain to their mouth. Apraxia of speech may affect more than the power to speak. It often affects reading and writing as well.

Aphasia, dysarthria and apraxia do not cause a loss of intellect. Even though it’s difficult for a survivor to speak, it’s not because of a lack of intelligence.
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MEMORY AND COGNITIVE CHALLENGES 

Different parts of the brain control specific types of thinking. Depending on where stroke happens in the brain, problems with certain types of thought may occur. Stroke survivors can have trouble with memory. Planning, organizing ideas or making decisions can also be hard after stroke.

How stroke affects memory 

Many stroke survivors face memory challenges. But not all memory problems are the same. A stroke survivor may: 

• Remember for only a short span of time. For instance, they might remember only two or three steps in a set of instructions. Or, the person might forget whether they have taken their medications or eaten a meal. 

• Have trouble absorbing new information. The survivor may need to have things repeated over and over. 

• Have problems transferring learning from one setting to another. For example, in the hospital the survivor might be able to safely transfer from a wheelchair to a bed alone. But at home, the change in setting may make the person unable to do the same task. 

• Mix up the details of an event. A stroke survivor might confuse when things happened or who was there. For example, he or she might think a family member visited in the morning instead of the evening before.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At United Stroke Alliance we urge you to Be-Faster!
If you have detected the following stroke symptoms, don't wait.  

BE-FASTER!

Don't wait, be Be-Faster to save someone's life. Awareness is critical! What if you could help save your life or someone else’s by knowing the signs of stroke? Once a stroke begins to present itself, BE-FASTER and dial 911 immediately - the more time that is wasted, the more functioning you could lose as a result – up to 1,900,000 brain cells a minute or worse - death. Act FAST when stroke strikes. Be aware of the signs of a stroke and how to act:

BALANCE
Sudden loss of balance

EYES
Sudden blurry or loss of vision

FACE
Sudden numbness, one side drooping - can you smile?

ARMS
Sudden weakness in arms - can you raise both?

SPEECH
Slurred or mumbling speech

TIME
CALL 911 NOW
EMERGENCY
ROOM
Get to the ER by ambulance they know what to do FASTER!