Aphasia Vacation
My Aphasia Vacation
On my aphasia vacation, I spent a month exploring life in Michigan. It was a blast. We hiked in state parks. We filled our camper van, our shoes and our feet with sand from the dunes of Lake Michigan. We climbed a couple of lighthouses and collected 30 pounds of rocks. (In Michigan, people are really into finding rocks and taking them home). My favorite days were at the Henry Ford Museum. It included dozens of steam engines, formation of electrics from 1800 to 1990. And we watched the F-150 gas and hybrid trucks assembled in the 100-year old Rouge complex.
While on my aphasia vacation, I also talked to people every where I went. I talked to retirees, working people, teachers, and walkers just like us. And they talked about what they did when they worked, where they were going and what they liked to do.
Aphasia Vacation on the Road
I talked to people about aphasia. I was curious how many people knew what it was. I explained that my speaking is awkward and I frequently lose words and I can’t read without technology. I wondered if aphasia is well known in Michigan. I also told them about my website Aphasia at Home. It’s a new website, that opened on September 15, 2025. I gave people the website address AphasiaatHome.com. And I explained what people at home can do to improve speaking, reading and the brain with or without therapy.
My little experiment convinced me that I need to be involved in the National Aphasia Association and my website.
Out of the 37 people I interviewed, six knew what aphasia was. Four of them were speech-therapy pathologists (STPs). (I also concluded that STPs also like to hike and spend time in city, state and national parks.) One person had aphasia when she was 20 years old. And one person was an Audiologist.
31 people (every one else that I spoke to) had no idea what aphasia is. They asked for the aphasia website so they could learn about it.
Michigan vs. Connecticut
I have had the same experience in Connecticut. I talked to librarians, people in the grocery store, people who played ukulele and even secretaries in my doctors offices. None have heard of aphasia unless they were nurses, doctors, therapists or neurologists. I met one family with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). And me. I know what aphasia is because I have it … but since there are 2 million people with aphasia in the U.S., I am sure there are others in my community … we just don’t have any way to meet each other.
National Aphasia Association
I now understand why the National Aphasia Association is working so hard to inform people about aphasia.
There are great programs in Philadelphia, Chicago, Florida and North Carolina. But what can be done for the thousands of people that live outside major cities.
I met a speech therapist in Owasco, NY who was walking near my camper van. We talked and she said more that 150 people were looking for Speech-Language Pathologists.
There must be other ways. We will hear about some of them here.