Every 19 minutes someone in Australia has a stroke and a third of those who survive will have aphasia. Aphasia affects language—our ability to speak, understand, read, and write. The loss of language is devastating and people with aphasia are more likely to develop depression, less likely to return to work, and find it difficult to keep friendships and stay involved in important activities.
Dr Sarah Wallace is a speech pathologist and work with people with aphasia, families, and clinicians to develop new treatments, systems, and standards that make life with aphasia better. Her research aims to develop: A way to monitor and improve the quality of aphasia services; Guidelines to ensure aphasia research is relevant and high quality; Technology-based treatments that promote independence, access, and confidence; Training for aged care workers to help older Australians have better conversations about their care.