“Truly inspiring” was the response of one person taking part in this week’s coffee morning discussion.
The theme was aphasia, inability (reduced ability) to communicate as a result of brain damage.
And cause of the inspiration? Bryan Smith, a multiple stroke victim with aphasia, who gave a vivid presentation about his experience and the support he received as he worked to regain speech.
Bryan was introduced by Caroline Macdonald from Dyscover, the local charity that helps people and families adjust to living with the condition.
Around one third of all strokes lead to aphasia which also affects reading, writing and understanding.
Learning to cope with frustration is important because intelligence is generally unaffected; people know what they want to say but can’t find, or order, the words. Today some 350,000 fellow citizens with aphasia need the rest of us to be more aware: the condition is invisible which can lead to misunderstandings and, too often, isolation and depression.
Well done the library team for another stimulating event. On this occasion a colleague from Horley Library team joined in to see what goes. Good news travels!
Next Coffee Morning Wednesday 3 April. Theme: Senior Art of Living. Learn to relax. Easy yoga. Guided meditation. Chill! At CARBS we're delighted to help promote the Library's coffee mornings on the first Wednesday of each month. We think there's a shared enthusiasm between the problem-solvers and the library's world of information and culture.