Interview with Ha-Loan Phan, project manager at AQPA

Since 2021, the AQPA has been conducting a broad consultation with community organizations working in aphasia and stakeholders in the health and social services network. The objective of the project is to find concrete solutions to strengthen the links between the different parties. Funded by the Mirella and Lino Saputo Foundation, in collaboration with the Association of Aphasic People of Granby-region (APAG) and ARTÈRE, This project is structured around five stages. This year marks a turning point in the evolution of the project. We interviewed Ha-Loan Phan, project manager, to take stock of the project.

Can you tell us about the origins of the project and the path it has taken since its launch?

This project stems from an observation: health and social services professionals are sometimes unaware of the role and service offerings of community aphasia organizations. However, these organizations are essential because they offer many activities and services to people with aphasia and their loved ones. This led us to look for easily applicable solutions to strengthen the network between community aphasia organizations and the health and social services network. We conducted a survey of the community sector, the results of which allowed us to determine the best practices for referring people with aphasia to our services when they leave the health and social services network.

What actions were you then able to take to strengthen the network of support organizations aimed at people with aphasia?

In early 2023, we completed an initial overhaul of our communication materials. Health and social services professionals need to understand what we offer in order to direct their clients to our organization. This overhaul has allowed us to gain clarity and visibility. For example, we have simplified our service request form. We seek to facilitate the process for anyone wishing to communicate with us.

We then planned a series of meetings with the various stakeholders in the health and social services network, as well as speech therapists who are interested in aphasia, including university professors. These meetings allowed us to rebuild the ties that had weakened during the pandemic. It seemed appropriate to us to intervene with management to remobilize our teams on both sides. These meetings are continuing.

We participated in the spring of 2023 in the Acfas Congress, as part of a conference entitled Arts and rehabilitation: promises and challenges of transdisciplinary approaches. We presented a poster and a popularization booklet, aimed at highlighting the experience of a person with aphasia, from rehabilitation to the AQPA. Then, in the fall, we participated in a round table organized by the Quebec Association of Speech Therapists and Audiologists (AQOA), entitled Rehabilitation, speech therapy and community organizations: A matter of weaving, not cutting, and we were able to continue the conversation with the people participating in our booth.

As the project nears its end, what is your assessment?

I think we have achieved most of the objectives we set for ourselves: better understanding the situation of community organizations, improving our communications, renewing close ties with our partners in the health and social services network, and finally, collaborating closely with other organizations working in aphasia in Quebec while involving our community of aphasic members and their loved ones.

Some of the objectives we set for ourselves have not yet found a miracle solution. For example, we want to set up sustainable and ongoing communication mechanisms with the five CIUSSSs in our territory so that the positive effects of the project can trickle down. We also want the AQPA to be part of the planning mechanism for organizing or offering services in the Stroke Care/Services Continuum. Steps are continuing in this direction.

For the moment, the final stretch of the project is the transfer of knowledge. We are doing everything we can to ensure that what we have learned in recent years is not lost and can benefit other community organizations, in particular with the support of Aphasie Québec – Le Réseau and a renewed associative life. The community of practice, and the support that comes from it, help to revive the enthusiasm of the network of community organizations in aphasia. Finally, I would like to sincerely thank the Mirella and Lino Saputo Foundation, without whom this project would not have existed. Even if this project is coming to an end, we are not short of ideas for the future!

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