Practical tips for communicating with a person with aphasia
The strategies proposed below are very useful for promoting understanding and expression regardless of the type of aphasia. A person with aphasia is intelligent and knows what they want to say. However, she has difficulty understanding or making herself understood without a suitable strategy.
Here is a list of practical tips you can apply:
- Eliminate auditory and visual distractions (television, radio, etc.)
- Get attention before starting the conversation
- Place yourself in front of your interlocutor
- Use short, direct sentences while maintaining an adult tone
- Add gestures while speaking to make your message clearer
- Repeat or rephrase your message as needed
- Don't pretend to understand and make sure you have been understood
- Be patient and allow time for response
- Do not complete the person with aphasia's sentences unless they ask you to do so.
- Listen attentively, do not correct words and sentences if you have understood the message
- Writing the key words of your conversation on a white sheet of paper is very useful to help with understanding and to suggest and confirm answer choices.
- Encourage the person with aphasia to pick up a pencil. This will be useful for writing a little, circling a choice of answers that you have proposed or for drawing
- Asking closed questions can make it easier to answer your questions. It is also useful to validate your understanding or that of the person with aphasia.
- Use images where necessary to facilitate your conversation
