The Aphasia Centre of Ottawa can now establish Caregiver Wellness and Caregiver Outreach programs thanks to a two-year grant of $50,000 from the OutCare Foundation.

These programs will provide direct support to family caregivers who are “on the front line” caring for aphasia patients 24 hours a day in their homes.

Aphasia is a condition that commonly afflicts people who suffer a stroke or severe head injury. Aphasia robs a person of their fundamental ability to communicate even though their intelligence and reasoning abilities are perfectly intact. The stress aphasia can cause for both the sufferer and their family is enormous.

Funding from the OutCare Foundation will allow the Aphasia Centre to develop a program that supports community reintegration for families living with stroke. Using the OutCare Foundation’s grant as seed funding, the Aphasia Centre’s pilot project – if successful – will provide a strong case for long-term and ongoing funding from other sources. Because the Aphasia Centre receives no direct funds from any government source, the interim funding from the OutCare Foundation is helping make the pilot program possible.

The Aphasia Centre is the only community-based agency in Ottawa serving aphasia patients and their families. Aphasia is more common than Parkinson’s disease, Cerebral Palsy or Muscular Dystrophy. It’s estimated that up to 1 in every 250 people in North America suffer from aphasia.