Aphasia

I'm sad to report that my favorite patient passed away over the weekend. It was a bit of a surprise and nobody expected it. Thankfully, the patient just passed away in her recliner without any pain. I'm sad, but having the gospel in my life keeps things in perspective.

This patient had something called "aphasia." In her honor, I wanted to educate friends and family on what "aphasia" actually is. According to dictionary.com, aphasia is "the loss of a previously held ability to speak or understand spoken or written language, due to disease or injury of the brain." Depending on what part of the brain is injured depends on what abilities are lost. My patient had difficulties with writing, word finding, mild perseveration (repeat something redundantly), and some comprehension. One thing my patient often said was, "I know it, but I can't say it." She knew what she wanted to say, but couldn't get the words out. Talk about frustrating!

I thought I'd also tell a funny story from a few weeks ago. To make it easier to tell, we'll call my favorite patient Alice. We had quite a few patients in the therapy room one day and it was a bit crowded. My supervisor was facing one patient, while having her back to Alice. All of a sudden, my supervisor jumped. Apparently, Alice pinched her rear end! Alice's reply was that it was just there and she just couldn't help herself!

God Bless "Alice!"