None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of three models of community aphasia groups for participants with aphasia and their nominated family members. Outcomes for people with aphasia will be measured in relation to each domain of the World Health Organisation (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (WHO, 2001): impairment, activity & participation, personal factors, and environmental factors. Quality of life and participant experience of the program will be additional outcome areas of interest. Outcomes for family members will relate to caregiving, psychological health, supported conversation skill, and participant experience of the program. Hypotheses: 1) Each of the three community aphasia groups will lead to positive outcomes for all people with aphasia at the end of participation in at least one area of outcome measurement, 2) People with aphasia attending the treatment group (known as multidisciplinary-facilitated community aphasia group, or MD-CAG) will show greater gains than people with aphasia attending either of the two active comparison groups, 3) The gains made by people with aphasia attending MD-CAG will be maintained or will increase further 4-6 weeks after the end of participation, 4) Family members attending MD-CAG and one of the active comparison groups (known as volunteer and peer-facilitated community aphasia group, or VP-CAG), will show gains in at least one area of outcome measurement at the end of participation, 5) Family members of people with aphasia attending MD-CAG will show greater gains than family members of people with aphasia attending either of the two comparison groups, and 6) The gains made by family members will be maintained or will increase further 4-6 weeks after the end of participation. Reference: World Health Organisation. (2001). International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organisation.
Interventions
Group Name: Multi-disciplinary-facilitated community aphasia group.
Focus of the program: communication partner training, total communication, conversation practice, socialisation, participation in meaningful activities, identity (re)negotiation, advocacy, psychological support, information provision, family involvement, group process, home tasks, individual goals, transition goals.
Dose: 2 hour session one day per week for 12 weeks.
Mode of administration: Face to face group program
Group f
Group Name: Multi-disciplinary-facilitated community aphasia group. Focus of the program: communication partner training, total communication, conversation practice, socialisation, participation in meaningful activities, identity (re)negotiation, advocacy, psychological support, information provision, family involvement, group process, home tasks, individual goals, transition goals. Dose: 2 hour session one day per week for 12 weeks. Mode of administration: Face to face group program Group facilitators: Speech Pathologist and Social Worker. Aides: person with aphasia, person without aphasia. Additional speech pathologist consultancy. Strategies to improve adherence: Home task reminders provided at the end of each week, reminder alerts where permission has been given (e.g., via phone, email, or text), weekly staff briefings and debriefings to address any participant concerns, on-call social worker available to address any participant concerns and provide support, participants invited to provide weekly feedback regarding experience of previous session Procedures for monitoring adherence: Weekly attendance records, weekly feedback regarding completion of home tasks
Sponsors
Associate Professor Miranda Rose
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
40 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Person with aphasia must have a primary communication partner (spouse or close other who either lives with the PWA or sees them at least weekly) who is able to undertake assessments as a minimum requirement (with opportunity for allocation to groups where family member attendance is either required or optional) Person with aphasia time post-stroke equal to or greater than 12 months Person with aphasia pre-morbid fluent speaker of English Family member fluent speaker of English Person with aphasia ability to reliably communicate ‘yes/no’ regardless of communication modality Person with aphasia ability to manage toileting Person with aphasia ability to maintain focus for two 50-minute sittings with a 20-minute break
Exclusion criteria
Person with aphasia and family member have a significant/uncorrected psychiatric (including anxiety and depression), vision, and/or hearing impairment Person with aphasia and family member have a diagnosed cognitive deficit Person with aphasia currently undergoing formal aphasia-specific intervention Person with aphasia and family member currently attending a stroke or aphasia group
Outcome results
None listed