Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The main objective of this proposal is to discuss the relevance and impact of social networks in which aphasic subjects are immersed, mainly regarding family members, caretakers, and health systems. Aphasia is the linguistic condition that frequently follows a neurological episode (an ictus, a tumor, a traumatic injury, and so on). Besides medical and psychological assistance, we argue that aphasics must be faced with empathy in order to be understood and to express their subjectivity. Despite their condition, they must be recognized as competent individuals who have something to say. Tt is imperative for the success of their rehabilitation process to encounter attentive and predisposed interlocutors who will assist them in developing adaptive strategies. In such social approach to understanding aphasia, treatment is comprehended as a collaborative and conversational process of people, as it “should not be a process of just language and communication repair, but of facilitating purpose and meaning in life and strengthening ties with others in those natural life contexts that matter the most” (Lyon, 1999, p. 689). In the context of this reflection, I present the ethical and theoretical guidelines of the work developed by the research group I lead (GELEP – Study Group of Language in Aging and in Pathologies) at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo, Brazil. CCA (Center for People with Aphasia) has been the locus for our research in the field of Neurolinguistics for more than thirty years and also an institutional space to develop community extension programs.