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JCPSLP Volume 17, Number 2 2015 73
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participation on life for aphasic adults and their prime
support provided to the volunteers and the communication
strategy and co-ordination that underpinned the group. SLP
expertise is therefore seen as crucial to a sustainable model
for communication groups in the community. This outcome
is not unexpected; however, access to SLP services by
such groups does remain contentious. While the SLP in
this study predominantly worked in a voluntary capacity,
training provision by a volunteer SLP is not a sustainable
option in the long-term. Strategic planning at a local level
is clearly needed to ensure regular and ongoing input,
albeit potentially not needing to be provided in the intensity
that we might usually consider for our services. Strategies
might include collaborative partnerships with universities
or referring health services, allowing volunteer training to
be delivered as part of final-year clinical placements or
outpatient service delivery. The potential rotation or sharing
of training across services (e.g., “releasing” staff to deliver
training) could offer inexpensive but critical input that would
ensure that outpatient services have somewhere to refer
their clients after therapy ceases while addressing those
long-term needs of people who have communication
impairment.
This study has sought to explore the experiences of a
particular community-based communication group in a
particular locality. As such, it is confined to a small number
of participants, influenced by the local conditions of the
group involved. Future research should build on the current
findings.
Conclusion
This study sought to identify which factors were perceived
by group participants and carers to contribute to the
success of a long-running volunteer-led communication
group and explore the interaction between these factors.
The provision of communication opportunities in a
supported and rich communication environment with
well-trained volunteers and robust organisation were viewed
as critical to the day-to-day success of the group. The
ongoing development of volunteer skills, the managed
communication environment and the professional support
with recruitment and strategic direction provided by the
SLP in a regular but low-intensity model were found to
underpin this success. This contributed to a proposed
model of sustainability factors that should be explored
further to assess its utility in informing the development of
further community communication groups. Future studies
should also explore the perspectives of SLPs and other
relevant health professionals to establish the validity and
utility of this preliminary model.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the group and carer
participants who took part in this study and Tess Beattie,
Curtin University, who conducted the interviews as part of a
School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin
University Summer Scholarship. The study was funded
through a small grant from the School of Psychology and
Speech Pathology, Curtin University.
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