An aphasia diagnosis, the family of actor Bruce Willis announced that he will be retiring from performing. Aphasia is a language problem caused by damage to the parts of the brain responsible for expression and comprehension. We are explaining in detail about the aphasia disease for better understanding of why is Bruce Willis not acting anymore.
What is Aphasia?
Aphasia is a problem of communication that affects persons of all ages. It can influence their voice, writing, and comprehension of both spoken and written language.
A stroke or head injuries are the most common causes of aphasia. It can, however, develop over time as a result of a slow-growing brain tumor or a disorder that causes permanent harm (degenerative). Several factors, including the source and amount of brain injury, influence the severity of aphasia.
Once the cause of aphasia has been determined, speech and language therapy is the most common treatment. The person with aphasia relearns and practices language abilities, as well as learns to communicate in other ways. Family members are often concerned in the process, helping the person in communicating.
What are the Aphasia Types?
Aphasia is divided into six types:
- Global Aphasia
- Broca’s Aphasia
- Mixed Non-Fluent Aphasia
- Wernicke’s Aphasia
- Anomic Aphasia
- Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)
1. Global Aphasia
- The most severe kind of aphasia is global aphasia. Multiple areas of the brain involved in language processing are injured, resulting in this condition. Only a few recognizable words can be produced by those suffering from global aphasia.
- They can only understand a few words or none at all. They may, however, have totally intact cognitive and intellectual talents unrelated to language or speech. Following a stroke or brain damage, global aphasia may become obvious right
- While this type of aphasia may improve as the brain heals, it is possible that permanent damage will occur.
- Broca’s Aphasia
Non-fluent or expressive aphasia is another name for Broca’s aphasia. Broca’s aphasia causes a partial loss of linguistic capacity in patients. They have trouble speaking fluently and may only be able to say a few words at a time.
- Mixed Non-Fluent Aphasia
Patients with this type of aphasia, like those with Broca’s aphasia, have limited and laborious speaking. Their cognitive abilities, on the other hand, are less developed than those of people with Broca’s aphasia. They may be able to read and write, but only to a third-grade level.
- Wernicke’s Aphasia
Wernicke’s aphasia is also known as receptive aphasia or fluent aphasia. It is called fluent speech because the people have trouble understanding spoken words and have no trouble making the connected speech.
Wernicke’s aphasia causes a person’s ability to read and write to deteriorate, as well as their capacity to comprehend language.
- Anomic Aphasia
Anomic aphasia is a condition in which a person is unable to find the appropriate words to express what he/she wishes to say. He/she understands grammar and speech production but cannot seem to find the right words to express themselves.
- Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)
PPA is a neurological condition in which a person’s ability to communicate is gradually lost. PPA is caused by neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, whereas most other types of aphasia are caused by stroke.
What are the Causes of Aphasia?
Aphasia can occur as a result of any disorder that causes brain damage. It can also occur when your brain’s activities are disrupted. This is due to numerous factors, like:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Brain Surgery
- Aneurysms
- Cerebral Hypoxia
- Genetic Disorders
- Brain Tumors (Including Cancer)
- Dementia and Front Temporal Dementia
- Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury
- Epilepsy or Seizures
- Migraines
- Toxins and Poisons
- Developmental Disorders and Congenital Problems
- Inflammation of Your Brain from Viral or Bacterial Infections, or Autoimmune Conditions
- Radiation Therapy or Chemotherapy
- Strokes or Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)
What is the Treatment of Aphasia?
Family participation is typically an important part of aphasia treatment since it allows family members to learn the best ways to interact with their loved ones.
- If at all possible, take part in therapy sessions.
- Use short, simple sentences to simplify the language.
- To clarify meaning, repeat the content words or write down essential terms.
- Maintain a conversational tone that is appropriate for an adult.
- When possible, keep distractions to a minimum, such as a loud radio or television.
- Participate in talks with the person who has aphasia.
- In particular, when it comes to family concerns, seek out and value the perspective of the person with aphasia.
- Encourage all forms of communication, including speaking, gesturing, pointing, and sketching.
