FUNDED PROJECTS AND RESEARCH
The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia has given over £1,464,253 since its inception in 1996.
The Trust has supported many projects including Birkbeck College, University College London, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Plymouth University of East Anglia, Connect, Speakeasy and most recently City Lit.
SOME OF OUR CURRENT PROJECTS
CONNECT - THE COMMUNICATION DISABILITY NETWORK
The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia is part funding the second phase of the Access to Life Project which is a strategic part of Connect’s work in supporting people living with aphasia.
Connect is promoting and developing tried and tested services across England giving people living with aphasia the opportunity to access the support they need to reconnect with life.
Key to the success of this unique project is that people with aphasia are supported to deliver and develop services themselves. Services such as conversation groups help to increase confidence and self esteem and hospital and home befriending services give much needed emotional and practical support to people with aphasia and their families.
Connect works with Local Authorities and HNS trusts across England making them aware of the benefits of the Access to Life programme and seeks to provide on a commissioned basis these much needed services to support the many thousand of people living with aphasia to reconnect with life. To find out more about the work Connect do go to www.ukconnect.org
THE NORTH EAST APHASIA CENTRE AT NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY
In 1999 the Trust funded the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at the University of Newcastle to set up an Aphasia Treatment Clinic in the centre of Newcastle. Using space provided by the University, the Trust funded the refurbishment of rooms into intensive aphasia treatment facilities.
The North East Aphasia Centre serves three major functions:
- It offers high quality intensive treatment to clients with aphasia
- Ensures students are trained to the highest possible standards in the assessment and treatment of aphasic disorders
- Promotes research into aphasic disorders and their treatment
The Centre offers:
- Intensive group and individual therapy to clients with aphasia
- Clients attend for three days a week over a period of twelve weeks
- Clients come from a range of areas within the North East (and sometimes beyond)
- Local speech and language therapists refer people with aphasia to the centre
Further Funding for Therapy Resources
Following previous funding to set up the Aphasia Centre for intensive therapy at the University, funding was granted to the Centre to build on existing good practice by developing sets of therapy materials. The therapy resources have been developed based on current theoretical models and the experience of working with people with aphasia within the North East Aphasia Centre, based at Newcastle University. They have been compiled by Janet Webster, Julie Morris, Anne Whitworth and David Howard.
The resources are presented in separate DVD packages:
- Written word comprehension link to each area
- Verb & sentence processing
- Auditory processing
The materials are designed to be used by speech and language therapists and for guided use by student speech and language therapists.
For more information about the Therapy Resources and where they can be purchased, please go to www.ncl.ac.uk/aphasia or email Janet.moss@ncl.ac.uk.
For further information about the Aphasia Centre please contact:
North East Aphasia Centre
Speech and Language Sciences Section
King George VI Building
Newcastle University
Queen Victoria Road
NE1 7RU
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tel: 0191 222 8550
Fax: 0191 222 6518
E-mail: Janet.moss@ncl.ac.uk
Or visit the website at: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ecls/outreach/aphasia-clinic/therapy.htm
As a direct result of the Centre, a charity called the Comm-Unity, NETA's Aphasia Support Centre (North East Trust for Aphasia) was formed. The majority of trustees are either people with aphasia or their carers. NETA aims to help people with aphasia and their carers get the support they need and want. Currently they fund a Support Centre in Newcastle, which runs one day per week, helping people to move forward with their aphasia. Some of their short-term objectives are:
- Raising the profile of people with aphasia
- Seeking continued funding for the aphasia clinic at the University
- Supporting specific projects for people with aphasia and their carers, such as the Support Centre
- Developing an information website for people with aphasia
- To develop a befriending scheme, where people with aphasia can be visited by volunteers
For further information please visit the website at http://www.neta.org.uk.
SPEAKEASY - SUPPORTING COMMUNICATION RECOVERY
Speakeasy is a charity in the North West whose mission statement is to make a positive difference to the lives of people who have aphasia and their carers.
The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia funded a 3 year pilot study linking Speakeasy with the groundbreaking work of Jane Mortley of Step by Step Consultancy. The Trust has continued with financial support for 2010/11 to enable them to continue with this work.
Speakeasy employ a Speech and Language Therapist who is trained to deliver more targeted, specific computer therapy to members than they were able to provide before.
Speakeasy has also developed an outreach service to offer computer therapy to people with aphasia unable to attend the group.
This exciting project reaches many people who have aphasia who might otherwise receive little or no support. Information about Speakeasy can be found on their website: www.buryspeakeasy.org.uk.
CITY LIT - THE CENTRE FOR ADULT LEARNING
City Lit, the Centre for Adult Learning in London offers speech therapy courses for people with communication disabilities.
TTA has just completed funding for a Total Communication Group, a pilot study run by City Lit to help people with aphasia.
The course was for up to 10 people who have mild aphasia but needed more practice in communicating with others and social and confidence building. Members of the group varied in age and came from a variety of backgrounds. Conversations and discussions took place within a supportive group led by a speech and language therapist with particular experience of working with people with aphasia.
The pilot study proved to be very successful and as a result of the success of the group, City Lit has agreed to fund for a further year.
SOME OF OUR PAST PROJECTS
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON AND BIRKBECK COLLEGE
The Trust has supported research projects which have lead to developing therapy which can be used successfully in the current Health Service provision.
‘A health service investigation of the treatment of word-finding difficulties in aphasia using sound and written cues’ project was proposed following the success of the academically based study ‘Treatment of word-finding problems in aphasia using phonological techniques’. As the Health Service is increasingly turning towards evidence –based practice, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment in a clinical setting adapting the materials, as necessary for clinical use. This therapy can be successful within the time constraints available and can help with people with aphasia who are referred to speech and language therapists in clinics and hospitals.
The Trust has supported the following research projects-
- Making the most of communication: supporting carers in conversation with an aphasia partner
- The use of phonological and orthographic cues in the treatment of word finding difficulties in aphasia
- An investigation of the relationship between conceptualisation and non-linguistic communication evidence from drawing production in aphasia
- A health service investigation of the treatment of word-finding difficulties in aphasia using sound and written cues
More about these projects can be found by going to University College London’s Centre for Language & Health - www.ucl.ac.uk/HCS/clh/projects/.
UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
Funding was granted in October 2005 to Simon Horton and Anne Guyon from the School of Allied Health Professions to do a feasibility study. The purpose of the study was to establish and report on the issues from the perspectives of a range of stakeholders. This study was used to determine the viability of a centre for aphasia in Norwich. The conclusion of the study showed that a centre for aphasia is not viable in the form originally envisaged, but there is a potential for a dedicated aphasia service in Norfolk. The final report showed a good snapshot of what was happening and would serve as a good model for future research.
The University’s website is http://www1.uea.ac.uk/cm/null/cm/home.
UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH
The University of Plymouth, Stroke Unit, Mount Gould Hospital, Plymouth, PL4 7QD
Professor Magid Bakheit, Professor of Neurological Rehabilitation
The study: A randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effects of the intensity of conventional speech and language therapy on recovery from post-stroke aphasia.
THE TAVISTOCK TRUST