But since Joe’s stroke, he has trouble with his own words because of a condition called aphasia, which makes it difficult for a person to say, process or recall language. The condition has left him unable to work, so he’s tried to find leisure activities in his community to help fill his free time. Still, he and
many other aphasia patients in the same situation have reported feeling self-conscious, because often friends and neighbors can be impatient with the time it takes them to find the right words, or are frustrated with what looks like a lack of understanding.

“Many patients have told me that people think they’re drunk, or they’re mentally handicapped,” said Susanne Lesnik-Emas, assistant professor of therapeutic recreation in the College of Health Professions and Social Work. “It can make them very insecure about their condition and cause them to shy away from exploring those opportunities.”

Last semester, Lesnik-Emas started a group called Active Living for Persons with Aphasia, which focuses on improving active leisure engagement for those with the condition. The goal is to provide social and recreational activities in a safe, homogeneous environment — surrounded by others

with aphasia — so that they can practice their skills, build their confidence and ultimately feel comfortable enough to pursue opportunities in their own communities.

Lesnik-Emas has also integrated the
group into the therapeutic recreation
curriculum. Each semester, students
have the opportunity to practice their
interviewing and assessment skills with
participants. Senior-level students are
able to use the skills they’ve learned
to design five successive sessions of
programming, each with specific goals
and objectives.

“What is unique about this group is that it is all about leisure and recreation participation in one’s life
and how having aphasia affects that,” said Lesnik-Emas. “Many in our group already had a quality leisure lifestyle, and they are simply struggling to regain that quality, but for those who did not, this group is serving to introduce them to resources, to examine their values and beliefs about leisure and to then provide skill development.”

Once a week, the group meets on Temple’s campus to participate in activities designed to improve their confidence and social skill set. Many of the experiences are planned around the interests of group members, such as writing poetry, creating arts and crafts or playing video games.

“One of the benefits of being in a homogeneous group with others with aphasia is that it has helped
the survivors relax and feel more comfortable,” said Lesnik-Emas. “It has provided them with a sense of community and camaraderie, and you can see their confidence has gone up significantly.”

During one session, group member John, who writes down words to help him communicate, tried writing on a piece of scrap paper. Without the use of his right hand, the paper kept

slipping away, until Joe, the former editor, reached over and held it in place for him.

“The group really senses the needs of one another, and they insert themselves gently into each other’s
experiences to lend support,” said Lesnik-Emas. “They come because they understand the value in trying to improve their leisure skills and that doing so in a group with people like them is the best way to achieve that.”