Is There Productive Support for Aphasia on the Internet?

Thursday, 11:00am to 1:00pm
Seabright
Poster 1
Aphasia has a profound effect on the daily social interactions of those suffering from it and their caregivers; many studies have shown its socially isolating effects. Support groups for this population however are scarce and require financial and travel resources. In consideration of those challenges, the aim of this study was to determine what online support groups were available to people with aphasia and their caregivers, how often those online resources were used and by whom. Internet search engines were used to find online social support groups and forums that targeted people with aphasia or stroke survivors. Membership, number of posts and comments were tracked for a convenience sample. Content analysis was conducted for public aphasia-specific Facebook groups. Only a very small percentage of the population of people with aphasia was found to be accessing online social media sites. Stroke specific groups evidenced little discussion of language challenges and addressed more general challenges of daily life. Since content analysis was limited to public groups, further exploration is suggested on discussion topics among this population. No surveys have been done to determine if this population feels their quality of life has been improved by the use of social media. More research into social support for people with aphasia through online social media is recommended.
Track: 
Adult