World Stroke Day 2017
6th November 2017
By Chloe Nunan
To mark World Stroke Day 2017, BBC4 released a documentary that follows the life and experience of aphasia patients and looks into the importance of language. ‘Speechless’ looked into the lives of two individuals who were left with aphasia following a stroke, highlighting the mental and physical issues they face on a day-to-day basis. We meet individuals with aphasia including patients at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, where for months at a time they work alongside speech and language therapists, psychiatrists, occupational and physio therapists on the road of rehabilitation.
Imagine being able to think but not speak your thoughts; the documentary highlights the frustration this causes and in turn, the affect this has on the mental attitude of the individual. We encounter two men who both suffered a stroke to the left hemisphere of the brain, each with differing recoveries. It is estimated that every hour an area of the brain is starved of oxygen, it ages by roughly 3 years. Barry, a businessman, was found in his van an estimated 10 hours following a stroke and it had a devastating impact on his language and motor skills. Junior, once a professional footballer, received treatment 60 minutes after his stroke; he talks well however often loses the drift of what he’s talking about. Both men can comprehend and understand language and know the semantic meaning, however they struggle verbalising their thoughts. Both men have suffered a dramatic reduction in self-confidence and would rather not venture out in the fear of having to use language in interactions, not just with strangers, but also with close friends and relatives.
What comes across massively is the profound feeling of isolation those with aphasia encounter, more than just the challenge of overcoming the language barrier. A lack of language causes numerous other challenges; it is a very social tool and without the ability to discuss with others, we can’t change our views and ideas which is a large part of social interaction. As presented by Wittgenstein, there is no such thing as a private language – we need the interaction with others. ‘Speechless’ shows us that in the absence of language, social relationships can suffer and in some cases can even break down and change the individual on a mental and personal level. Barry, once a very bubbly family man, was dreading the thought of going back to his family home due to the psychological and physical impact of aphasia.
An interesting concept brought up in the documentary was the idea of experience depended learning, that is retraining the brain in learning. You can see the differences in Junior and Barry’s rehabilitation, and the fact that Junior is a lot more able in his language. At the beginning of his recovery Junior was unable to talk, but can now speak in easily understandable sentences (the opposite to Barry who struggles even with the articulation of single words). This may be down to the fact that Junior is younger and his brain has a lot more plasticity, however another factor may be a result of the time difference between the two men getting medical treatment.
Although these people may be silenced, they speak volumes despite their absence of language. The documentary was eye opening in the fact that we don’t tend to think about all the other factors that come from having a stroke; we think of the speech difficulties and the mobility issues. ‘Speechless’ emphasised the mental challenges – the feelings of isolation and frustration – that we carelessly overlook.
For more information visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1zgnXxXVbQ5HZ0CmXDSYJjS/information-and-support-speechless