Family members' report on speech-language pathology and community services for persons with aphasia in Hong Kong

Abstract

Purpose. This study investigates (a) the provision of speech-language pathology (SLP) services and community resources in Hong Kong for persons with aphasia (PWA) and their families and (b) family members' perception of the service quality.

Methods. A self-administered 42-item questionnaire was distributed in two community support groups. The questions included information on the demography data of the PWAs, details of the SLP services and family members' perception of PWAs' satisfaction with the hospital-based services and resources in community support groups.

Results. Results from 37 completed questionnaires indicated most inpatient and outpatient SLP sessions were delivered weekly and monthly, respectively, in fewer than 30 min. The primary foci of these sessions were assessment and treatment of aphasia. While professional SLP services were unavailable in support groups, the activities attended most frequently by the PWAs and their families were communication groups and social gatherings, respectively. Overall satisfaction was highest with support groups, followed by hospital-based inpatient and outpatient services.

Conclusions. The results provide commentary on the existing practices of post-stroke aphasia management in Hong Kong, and will provide new insights into the clinical care of the PWAs and their families. Such knowledge can allow better planning of resource and manpower allocation for aphasia rehabilitation.

Keywords:

• Aphasia
• Hong Kong
• China
• family
• speech-language pathology
• community services

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to all the participants for taking part in this study as well as Mr. Siu-Lam Yuen, Chairman of the Self Help Group for the Brain Damaged, and Mr. Kwok-Fan Poon, President of The Hong Kong Stroke Association, for their assistance in participant recruitment. Special thanks to Ms. Lorinda Kwan, Clinical Supervisor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Hong Kong, for arranging student clinicians to assist in the completion of this study.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. The current study did not receive any funding when it was conducted.