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ACQ
uiring knowledge
in
speech
,
language and hearing
, Volume 10, Number 1 2008
31
I had to learn to drive again – or, at least, go through
training with RACQ. I don’t drive everywhere. I had got used
to being chauffeured! But also, realistically, I felt very unsure
about driving. It’s only now after 8 months that I have a
measure of confidence in driving.
As a person who has gone through these experiences I
found
The Australian Aphasia Guide
exceptionally informative,
interesting and helpful.
The Australian aphasia guide
, by Angela Berens
together with Georgi Laney, Tanya Rose and Tami
Howe; St Lucia, Qld: Australian Aphasia Association
Inc.; 144 pages, $20. Available from the Australian
Aphasia Association Inc.
I was asked to do this review last week! I’ve been worrying
about it ever since. A bit like Angela who “won this challenge”,
as noted in beginning this work. I think that Angela’s preface
spells out the reasons for the book – “to promote aphasia at
every chance I have and to help people like me who are living
with aphasia” (p. 1).
Too often in life I have met many people who wonder why
someone hasn’t done something to solve a problem. When I
have suggested that they might put their hand to the plough
and get the solution moving, they shy clear with many and
various reasons. But then, I have often found that if I begin to
get things moving, I have had many respond by offering their
assistance. Thus the work was still done – only more
circuitously! That then gives others heart to see to solving
problems. This might seem to be in a perfect world – because
it sometimes doesn’t happen!
So, we must express our thanks to Angela for initiating and,
with the assistance of many others, getting it off the ground.
That thanks comes from me also as a person who needed help
as well.
On 30 November 2005 – just 20 months ago – I had a
massive stroke.
I had had a shower and just dried myself as I was preparing
to go to All Saints’ Church, Wickham Tce in Brisbane to say
the midday mass for the Feast of St Andrew. You see, I am a
priest – Anglican brand – and had retired in April 2001.
Because of my good health I was of use in parishes. I had
only been in hospital twice – the last time was 27 years before!
In my retirement my wife and I had moved into a town
house in Stanley Tce, Toowong. On 29 June we eventually
moved into a house in Taringa because of my wife’s problems
of walking up and down the staircase in the townhouse.
Five months after that shift I was stricken by a stroke and
spent the next 12 weeks in St Andrew’s Hospital. When I
came out of hospital there was much intervention on the
medical side to see that I was in a safe environment. I knew
that no way in the world would I have been able to go back to
a three-story townhouse. So, what we had done for my wife
was actually done for me!
The whole cost of the hospitalisation plus the continuing
rehabilitation after hospital were fully paid for (apart from
$250) by my health insurance. For years I couldn’t see the
benefit paying large sums of money for private insurance.
Now I knew why!
So began many more months of continuing rehabilitation.
My wife had been given time off from her teaching position
from the end of November till mid-July 2006. It was fully paid
leave which she had accumulated over many years. The
benefit of being honest paid off!
I joined the University of Queensland’s continuing research
work, which made it possible to continue to improve my
memory.
I have continued twice weekly going to the Wesley Hospital
swimming pool for hydrotherapy. Very tiring but well worth
while. Every day sees improvement in my well-being.
R
eview of
T
he
A
ustralian
A
phasia
G
uide
Colin F. Cussen
Colin Cussen with his wife
The book is divided into 2 major divisions: the book itself
has 8 chapters; and the service directory which is organised
under 6 headings. Then there are 4 pages of symbols of
common needs. The important thing about this book is that it
is
colour-coded
. That is a great teaching method. Not only is
the book colour-coded, but each chapter in itself is also
colour-coded.
In the index, the page references for the chapters are
numbered and colour-coded. One doesn’t have to look for the
chapters by numbers – you’ll find them by their colours: cyan,
orange, dark green, blue, purple, light green, etc.
What is aphasia?
If I had been asked on 30 November, 2005, I would have
pleaded ignorance!
Now
it is a different story. I have much fun
when people ask me what organisations I belong to or what
I’m doing at UQ. ‘Oh, I belong to an aphasiac group.’ A
what
?!!!
So you can see there is still much work to do to educate
people about aphasia.
This book has made a valuable start on this work. In case
you the reader of this article don’t know what aphasia is, here
it is: “Aphasia is a language difficulty caused by injury to the
brain. It affects communication: to understand words, to
speak, to read, to spell, to write, to gesture and to use
numbers” (p. 12).
As we are well aware, this may affect everyday
communication, relationships and everyday living (p. 14).
Aphasia affects different people in different ways. I know that
– I had
twelve weeks
in hospital learning to communicate and
walk again!
But
there is one consolation which will give the
reader much hope – “Aphasia does not affect intelligence” (p.
14).