A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of - Queen Margaret University

facets of a person’s life as well as that of their carers. The social functioning of
aphasia was also presented including the desire to return to work by young
people with aphasia (see section 2.3.3 and 2.3.4) and the various barriers that
are reported to prevent this, including language difficulties particularly when
employed in service delivery positions. Apart from employment the impact of
aphasia on various social relationships has also been explored (see section
2.3.2). Finally, the sudden and sometimes catastrophic changes that occur
within the family unit as a direct result of a family member becoming aphasic has
also been addressed (see section 2.3.3). Although participants with aphasia in
the study by Ross and Wertz (2003) reported having priorities other than
communication difficulties (see section 2.3), it has been demonstrated that
communication impairment directly impacts upon those identified areas. For
instance an individual’s independence and autonomy is negatively affected
where a person is dependent upon their family and friends to explain to them
what they do not understand and to translate what they are trying to say to
others (see section 2.3.3 and 2.3.4). Communication impairment has also been
demonstrated to directly impact upon the development and maintenance of
social relationships, which includes the continuing support of non-aphasic
friends. Aphasia also impacts upon a person’s ability to access information as
this by its very nature is communicated via the written or spoken word. It also
erodes a person’s confidence in situations where they need to use their limited
communication abilities (e.g. using public transport or accessing the health
services). While the literature is in agreement with the priorities of people with
aphasia being elements other than communication (as highlighted by Ross and
Wertz, 2003), this discussion has demonstrated that it is language difficulties
that affect the ability to access these quality of life issues.
Consideration of all the issues that impact upon the life of a person with aphasia
- difficulty reintegrating into the workforce, the community and their own family
unit, it is clear that a major effect of aphasia involves social isolation (Code and
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