Finding messages in bottles: living successfully with stroke and aphasia

The question "What does it take to live successfully with stroke and aphasia?" was posed and answers were sought within already published accounts written by people living with aphasia. Published accounts that were identified as eligible and included in the study had to meet the following criteria: they had to be a published book or journal article that would be nationally available; they had to be authored or co-authored by a person with chronic aphasia due to stroke; and they had to be a personal narrative of some type. 28 publications meeting these criteria were identified through a search of bibliographic databases and websites, and 20 were available for analysis. 4 themes emerged. First, social support was identified as a critical factor in living successfully. Second, successful living appears to require an adaptation of one's perception of self. Third, most of the writers of the accounts looked to the future and set new goals. Finally, all of the published accounts noted the importance of taking charge of one's own continued communication improvement. Characteristics of the writers are discussed. The 4 themes are linked to the professional literature, and implications for future clinical work are explored. The potential bias of the interpreter is acknowledged.