Beryl is 70 years old

and had a stroke one year ago. She was initially in hospital but was very unhappy there and was discharged home after a few weeks. She was unable to speak, as she had dysphasia, and got very weepy much of the time. She had a group of friends who, between them, visited her every day but did not really know how to help. Beryl refused to go back to the hospital for Speech & Language Therapy, so her family arranged for a private therapist to visit her at home.

After assessment, the therapist and Beryl agreed that the best way forwards would be for the therapist to teach her friends how to help her. That way, she could have some help every day and her friends would be pleased to feel they were contributing to her recovery. The therapist visited every fortnight for a two hour session. Beryl's friends attended these sessions and learned how to work with Beryl to improve her speech. The therapist used demonstrations and video recordings to help them. They also learned strategies to support Beryl in conversations which allowed them all to get back to the chatty relationships they had previously. Although Beryl often could not tell them what she wanted, she could draw or write very effectively and use some gestures. Her friends became better at facilitating her ability to communicate and were more comfortable. They also learned ways of managing Beryl's weepiness which was less distressing for them all. By the time the therapist stopped visiting, Beryl was able to speak in short sentences and had chosen particular friends to accompany her when going on visits, so they could act as educators of other people. Beryl found greater confidence in her communication skills and her friends were able to continue the work they had been practising even when the therapist had stopped visiting.