Aphasia (or dysphasia) is the term for neurological problems with communication and language, including speech, reading and writing. It can present after a brain injury (including stroke and traumatic brain injuries) which causes damage to the parts of the brain responsible for processing and producing language. It is estimated that around one third of people who survive a stroke will be left with some form of aphasia.
You can find more information about communication problems after stroke in a publication from the Stroke Association here.
There is also a form of dementia called Primary Progressive Aphasia which causes a degenerative loss of language ability. You can find more information about PPA from Alzheimer’s Research UK here.
Aphasia is NOT a hearing impairment and does not affect intelligence. However a sudden loss of language ability can feel very frustrating and can leave people feeling isolated and depressed.
Some people with aphasia find that although they can’t speak fluently they are still able to sing – particularly familiar songs which they know well. This is because different parts of our brains are responsible for processing language and music, and often in people with aphasia the musical processing areas are not damaged by their stroke.
We know that singing, particularly in a group, can help to improve people’s mood and emotional wellbeing. This combined benefit has led to the creation of choirs for people with aphasia and other neurological conditions around the world, including their family members and loved ones who have often become carers overnight.
Some of the first aphasia choirs were developed in Australia and New Zealand, including the Stroke A Chord choir in Melbourne and the CeleBRation choir in Auckland. The ReVoice choir at UWE Bristol is run by Music Therapy students and lecturers, and the Bath Aphasia Choir began as student placement project by a UWE Bristol Music Therapy student (see more here).
Follow the Bath Aphasia Choir on Twitter or contact us for more information.