Tesco Bags of Help - supporting our work with people affected by aphasia
You can vote in stores in central and south Bristol during March and April
We are delighted that our application to the Tesco Bags of Help Grant Scheme has been successful and we will be one of three charities competing for blue tokens in Tesco stores around central and south Bristol, including the Tesco Extra on Callington Road, Brislington.
Conversation Cafe at The Station
We applied for support towards the work we do supporting people with aphasia as a result of their stroke. Our monthly drop-in Conversation Cafe, based in central Bristol, encourages and cares for people with the speech and communications disability. The aim is to create a informal space where people can talk, communicate, have fun, and feel relaxed enough to experiment with communication. Each session is structured around a topic and practical tips, and offers opportunities to talk, listen or otherwise communicate through gestures and facial expressions in a supportive and understanding small group environment. Whilst sufferers may not recover their previous powers of communication, they are supported to improve their skills and confidence to enable them to function in the wider world.
Our Conversation Cafe is facilitated by Bristol After Stroke volunteers – many of whom have suffered from aphasia themselves. The main outcome for participants is improved confidence to communicate and engage in a range of social settings. Many of our previous participants have gone on to volunteer with us at our peer support groups and cafés.
Stroke and aphasia
Half of the people who survive stroke are left with a disability, and a third are left with some form of aphasia and/or dysarthria – a disability that occurs when the communication centres in the brain are damaged and/or muscle weakness affects throat and mouth movement. Every person experiences it differently – there can be issues with speech, understanding, word finding, reading and writing. It is understandable that living with aphasia can make people feel depressed, anxious, lonely and embarrassed, and it can be equally difficult for their loved ones.
The Conversation Cafe takes place on the first Monday of the month at The Station, Silver Street, central Bristol. For more information click here and for Jerry's story about living with aphasia click here
