Reducing the psychosocial impact of aphasia on mood and quality of life in people with aphasia and the impact of caregiving in family members through the Aphasia Action Success Knowledge (Aphasia ASK) program: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundPeople with aphasia and their family members are at high risk of experiencing post stroke depression. The impact of early interventions on mood and quality of life for people with aphasia is unknown.Methods/designThis study will determine whether an early intervention for both the person with aphasia after stroke and their family members leads to better mood and quality of life outcomes for people with aphasia, and less caregiver burden and better mental health for their family members. This is a multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled trial. Clusters, which are represented by Health Service Districts, will be randomized to the experimental intervention (Aphasia Action Success Knowledge Program) or an attention control (Secondary Stroke Prevention Information Program). People with aphasia and their family members will be blinded to the study design and treatment allocation (that is, will not know there are two arms to the study). Both arms of the study will receive usual care in addition to either the experimental or the attention control intervention. A total of 344 people with aphasia and their family members will be recruited. Considering a cluster size of 20, the required sample size can be achieved from 18 clusters. However, 20 clusters will be recruited to account for the potential of cluster attrition during the study. Primary outcome measures will be mood and quality of life of people with aphasia at 12 months post stroke. Secondary measures will be family member outcomes assessing the impact of caregiving and mental health, and self-reported stroke risk-related behaviors of people with aphasia.DiscussionThis is the first known program tailored for people with aphasia and their family members that aims to prevent depression in people with aphasia by providing intervention early after the stroke.Trial registrationThis trial is registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) as ACTRN12614000979651. Date registered: 11 September 2014.

Development and application of a Chinese Version of the Language Screening Test (CLAST) in post-stroke patients

“…[ 23 ] Because of communication deficits, aphasic patients complain of difficulties in benefiting from available mental health services, participating in intervention programs, and/or finding support groups that could meet their needs. [ 24 ]…”

“…Despite controversies, timely and intensive speech and language rehabilitation in early aphasia has been recommended for maximizing recovery. [ 24 ] In addition, immediate post-stroke aphasia therapy improves communication outcomes, [ 25 – 27 ] which can persist for at least 12 months. [ 28 ] Therefore, detecting and evaluating aphasia in the acute phase represents a key concern.…”

As transformações do cotidiano de familiares cuidadores de sujeitos acometido por Lesão Encefálica Adquirida em idade produtiva

“…Um dos fatores que pode contribuir para redução das visitas e, consequentemente, com o afastamento dos amigos, são os distúrbios de linguagem (afasias) apresentados pelos sujeitos lesionados 20 . O impacto causado pela afasia no cotidiano dos familiares cuidadores tem sido tema de estudos nacionais 15,16,20,21 e internacionais 22,23 ; estes apontam as transformações da vida pessoal, social e econômica e ressaltam as dificuldades encontradas por estes para conviver com as afasias (dificuldades de compreensão e expressão do familiar) e também com as oscilações de humor e comportamento.…”

The Stakeholder Model of voice research: Acknowledging barriers to human rights of all stakeholders in a communicative exchange

“…This comprehensive approach has not been explicitly acknowledged in research on communication disorders to date, although research in speech pathology often investigates the perspective of dual stakeholders such as patient and carer (e.g. Worrall et al, 2016), patient and employer (e.g. Logan & O'Connor, 2012), patient and clinician (e.g.…”