Bringing together those with aphasia

A new support group for people with aphasia, a language disorder which affects our ability to communicate, has launched in Bournemouth next week.

Dorset HealthCare’s community speech and language therapy service joined forces with charity Say Aphasia, to launch the dropin group in Westbourne last week.

Faye Wright, communication plus lead practitioner for the Trust, said: “Aphasia is a communication disability and almost two-thirds of people with it suffer low mood or depression.

lows

Advertising feature n Chris Giles, who runs the group in Bournemouth, with Faye Wright of Dorset HealthCare you give a child a

“Having peer support and social opportunities can help reduce this, so we are very pleased this group is opening in the local area.

“We hope many people go along to the drop-ins to meet likeminded people, share stories, laugh and create companionship.”

Say Aphasia was set-up by Colin Lyall following a stroke in 2013 when he was 50, which left him feeling isolated with no one to talk to.

The charity is now a nationwide network of support.

The drop-in group will meet every second and fourth Monday of the month from 10am- noon at Westbourne Tower Care Home.

For more information, visit sayaphasia.org/ or contact faye.wright3@nhs.net.

Further details about speech and language therapy services in Dorset are available at dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/adultspeech-and-language-therapy.

Becoming a foster carer

Firstly, we would like to thank our readers for sticking with us throughout this series of articles. For those that you have missed they will be available online! This series aims to answer some common questions about fostering and give you a guide from personal carer extracts to what fostering with footprints can provide. Now you may think, how do I become a foster carer, and what is the process?

There are four stages:

Initial contact & home visit: Never be afraid to pick up the phone and give us a call, the friendly team at footprints can answer all your questions and there is absolutely no pressure from our side. If you meet the initial criteria and would like to proceed, we will conduct an informal home visit taking 1-2 hours and a basis for you to get to know us and visa versa.

Assessment:

Once you decide to proceed, we will give you an application form to complete. It helps us to understand more about you and your motivations. Normally the complete application process will take 3-6 months and is conducted by a qualified social worker.

Initial training:

Here we provide you with a first look into the training you will have as a foster carer, particularly we enrol you onto ‘skills to foster’ training that will give you a strong foundation and increase your confidence.

Fostering Panel:

The final stage is the panel. This is made up by experienced professionals from various fields. We present your assessment to the panel who will carefully consider the application and if they are happy, they will make recommendations for approving you as a foster carer.

We hope that helps outline the process a little better. We have more information on our website or can always provide support over the phone!