March 28, 2024

MedStar to Focus on Aphasia at Info Sessions

Aphasia

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, and to help highlight the month, MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital is Leonardtown plans to offer free information sessions from noon to 1 pm on Tuesday, June 25, and Thursday, June 27. The sessions will help educate participants about the communication disorder.

Aphasia is an acquired condition that impairs the sufferer’s ability to process language, but the condition does not affect intelligence. The most common cause of aphasia is stroke, but it can also result from head injury, a brain tumor, or other neurological causes in different cases.

People with aphasia usually have difficulty reading, writing, speaking, and/or understanding language. Close to 2 million Americans are affected by the disorder.

“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, and we hope to help families by sharing these resources.”

Individuals who are interested in the sessions can stop by The Blue Heron Café at MedStar St. Mary’s between noon and 1 pm June 25 and June 27. A speech language pathologist will talk about how to help those affected by aphasia. To learn more about the disorder and strategies for improvement, visit MedStar online or call 301-475-6062.

These information sessions are just one way MedStar St. Mary’s works to educate members of the public and potential patients about different health issues. The hospital also supports the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership, which works to help residents with a variety of health-related issues, from physical activity to smoking cessation and prevention. More information can mean better health for all residents of St. Mary’s County.

For more information and one-click access to a full list of resources available at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, visit their Leader member page.

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