In honour of Speech & Hearing Month, the Yukon Continuing Care Program, the Speech-Language Pathology staff as well as the Therapy Aid student Katelyn Holway, participated in the creation of communication books for the Residents at the Long-Term Care Facility: Whistle Bend Place, located in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Communication books are tools that allow people with a variety of language disorders to be able to participate in conversations and understand comprehensive communication. In this particular case, the books were made to cover daily needs and health concerns topics, such as pain, headache, dyspnea, constipation, etc.
As Katelyn explains: “These books help caregivers to better address the Residents needs, as they act as a resource to help the Resident communicate with others without having to speak. In instances where a Resident is unable to adequately communicate to others using their words, communication books become an essential way for the Resident to explain to others how they feel or what they need. This helps people with aphasia express themselves to others, and become active participants in conversations surrounding their care. Communication books can be a great tool to promote client centered care”.
It is estimated tha t over 100,000 Canadians live with aphasia, and many more have cognitive communicative disorders that also affect the ability to speak, understand, read and write.
To find more information and resources about aphasia and communication disorders, visit https://www.speechandhearing.ca/ or contact the Yukon Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Association at www.yslpaa.org
