Aphasia.

A blog story about aphasia?  Written by a dog?  Now HOW is THIS going to work?

It all started when my human was scrolling though Facebook yesterday.  She came across the photo of a cute Labrador Retriever – a Service Dog owned by a woman named Gabby Giffords.  For people who are not from the United States, the name may not be familiar.  Gabby was a politician – a Senator from the state of Arizona.  In 2011,  at the age of 41, Gabby was the victim of an assassination attempt.  She suffered a gunshot wound to her head. 

Gabby survived her injury and continues to amaze people with her recovery.  Her Service Dog, Nelson helps her with some tasks because she has difficulty using her right arm and leg as a result of her injury.  I’m not so sure I would have been cut out for Service Dog work.  It takes special dogs to do that job – and while I AM special, as we know, I’m not always obedient.   But I digress.  Gabby doesn’t let her physical challenges hold her back – she walks well and on the third anniversary of the shooting – she went skydiving!  Nelson did not jump with her.  He draws the line where he can help.

One of Gabby’s biggest challenges since her injury is that she has aphasia.  I don’t know how many of my readers know that word – but since it is Aphasia Awareness month (and it just so happens that my human knows a little bit about aphasia) I thought I could share some info about it.

Aphasia is a problem communicating as a result of some type of brain injury – like a stroke or head trauma.  It’s kind of like going to a country where you don’t know the language – you may not be able to speak the words, you may not understand what others are saying, and you may not be able to read or write – because you just don’t have the words.  BUT – your intelligence has not been affected.  IMAGINE how frustrating that would be! 

Dogs can have strokes – and some people relate that they bark less after that happens.  I’m not sure that they have aphasia – but maybe they do.  I saw a cartoon of a dog and the caption said "aphasia" – and in the word bubble over his head, he was saying “meow.”  That’s what it’s like for people with aphasia – the words do not always come out right.

People with aphasia can improve their communication skills– with therapy and hard work.  It’s a challenging and long journey and they need support from others along the way – to help them find the words. Communication is KEY in our lives – we dogs communicate in many ways.  From our tail wags when we are happy, to our barking at bunnies,  to our avoiding eye contact when we are being submissive – we use communication a LOT.  In fact all animals communicate – so we see how important it is.  It is our connection with the world.  People with aphasia need our help to interact, communicate and connect with others.

So that’s my message for today.  And that’s how a dog can tell a story about aphasia.  If you knew about aphasia before, I hope I didn't bore you!  If you didn't know about it, I hope you’ve learned something new.  And you got the info from a dog.  You got it from Viktor.  Viktor the PON.

©  Linda Wozniak