A new life with aphasia: everyday activities and social support

People who develop aphasia must adjust their lifestyles and learn to cope with the activity limitations that may follow from their disability. The purpose of this study was to describe aphasic individuals' experiences of everyday activities and social support in daily life. Interviews were conducted with 20 people with aphasia, and analysed with qualitative content analysis. The results show that everyday activities changed considerably with the onset of aphasia, and the participants were hindered from participating in activities by communication problems or physical disabilities. Aphasia led to the loss of friends and colleagues, and the interviewees often felt lonely. They generally received a lot of social support from close relatives, but support from the healthcare system was lacking. They need different kinds of social support to help them manage their aphasia and everyday activities and to improve their participation in society. Further studies are needed to improve our knowledge of everyday activity and social support for people with aphasia, and what it means to live with aphasia.