Orange Blossom Farm and Aphasia

Orange Blossom Farm is doing everything possible to raise awareness about this devastating condition.  Effective and expressive aphasia strike stroke victims,  leaving their speech center,  in varying degrees,  malfunctioning.  Aphasia victims spend their lives being ignored,  tolerated,  or treated like they are unable to understand.  They fact is they understand perfectly,  or nearly so,  and deserve to be included in any and all aspects of the society they have spent their lives contributing to. 

Effective and Expressive Aphasia
While effective aphasia refers to an ill tolerance toward being able to comprehend more complex ideas,  expressive aphasia refers to the mechanism for communication being hindered.  It's broken,  like a latch,  and the door will not open and let in the word that the person is trying to say or write.  Most people know what glaucoma is.  It effects vision.  The center of the picture becomes less and less available,  until a person can only see the periphery,  but no longer see what is in front of them.  Aphasia is similar,  except that it is effecting what a person is trying to say.  The more they want to say something,  the more likely they won't be able to.  The casual remark comes off easily.  "forget about it"  for instance,  would happen way before  "help me,  I'm hurt."

Why We Are Involved
I have gotten involved in aphasia because my mother became an aphasia  victim after her first stroke in 2002.  The family was determined to help her rehabilitate,  and in spite of the current administration's tax cuts which have limited after stroke out patient care to a total of $1500, we have contributed to find the money to pay for her speech lessons with the only qualified aphasia teacher available in the Los Angeles area (working out of UCLA).  She involved mother in conversation,  but mostly,  taught us how to help her speak.  Mother's ability to be understood depends on the cues her listeners give, to guide her to where she is trying to go, and keep her from giving up. The speech therapist taught mother to look for a word like the one she wants to say. 'Hungry' might end up 'red.'  Or 'laughing' might be 'burping.' instead.  She grabs any verb she can hold on to. 

Listening to the context of the sentence,  one can usually figure out what she is talking about,  but it takes practice,  and above all,  patience.  I confess that some early mornings I tell my mother I am not yet ready to figure out what she is trying to say.   If it sounds like I get frustrated,  imagine how my mother,  and millions of elderly people like her feel every day.  Mother laughs, she waits,  or she just does it herself.  Her humor and constant spirit of never surrender have inspired me to seek out aphasia centers.  Upon discovering that America has no such thing,  just a few across the country,  and realizing the millions of people suffer from this brain injury,  I have decided to devote my time and my farm's time to bringing attention - and money - to the people effected,  and to the disease study. I want the patients to have access to free aphasia treatment.  I want community meetings for them and their care givers.  I want therapy for every expressive aphasia victim.  as well as effective aphasia.

For more information, please go to the National Aphasia website by clicking on the link below:
http://www.aphasia.org.

All the best,

R. L. Jones

about the breed      newspaper      photos      early morning trail ride       contact us

back to the home page