The Stroke Network, Inc. is an on-line stroke support organization and are available to everybody, worldwide. Since 1996 they have provided on-line stroke support and information to well over 250,000 visitors to the site. The Stroke Network is the homepage for a network of several other smaller web sites owned by The Stroke Network Inc.

The Stroke Network provides on-line support to stroke survivors and stroke caregivers of adult stroke. They have found that a stroke caregiver or another member of the stroke family will seek out a web site looking for information about stroke after their loved one has just had one.

Visit our, twice a day, daily chat sessions. Whether you just want to talk or have serious questions of other, more experienced, stroke survivors or stroke caregivers, our hosted chat sessions are the place to come.

Click on the Chat Schedule link, under the Quick Links section, to find a chat session that is convenient for you.

The Stroke Network has been hosting stroke support chats for over 15 years! We know what we are doing and are here to support you!

Find out more on their CHAT .

Maine aphasia group is about six months old and its derived at “aphasia recovery connection”.the purpose of this group is to talk talk talk! and talk s’more!

Maine aphasia group’s, Monday through Friday, 6-7 PM EST. Learn more by emailing jeffcostanzo@gmail.com.

This site is designed for people in Maine and surrounding states promoting Aphasia! with aphasia, their friends, and their families.
Professionals are also welcome.
It is an “aphasia-friendly” site.
Please use simple speech with short sentences.
We encourage video posts. (1-2 minutes)
MAG is supported by Jeff Costanzo both young & old stroke survivors with aphasia . WELCOME! You are welcome to add friends from SPECIFIC to aphasia. Please do not randomly add all your Facebook friends as we are a closed group with a specific purpose.

If you can’t fine a support or conversation group in your area, why not start one! There are several books about the subject. Here are a few:

The Support Group Manual: A Session-By-Session Guide by Harriet Sarnoff Schiff. Check it out on Amazon.

Effective Support Groups by James E. Miller. Check it out on Amazon.

SUPPORT GROUP MANUAL SIMPLIFIED [Kindle Edition], by PhD. Samuel E. Yulish. Amazon.

Aphasia Community Groups: The National Aphasia Association has a list of Aphasia Community/Support Groups, listed State by State. The Aphasia Community Groups listed represent a wide variety of group types and structures. Some consist only of persons with aphasia and their significant others and some are more inclusive. Some are free and some are not.

Note: See the end of this roster for the names and numbers of national organizations that may also be able to put you in touch with groups.

To view programs and centers in your state and Canada, click on a state’s abbreviation in the State’s Table at www.aphasia.org.

If you are a person with aphasia or caregiver and do not see a listing near you, a good tip is to check with a local hospital or college/university. Most hospitals will have at least an affliated rehabilitation center, while a majority of colleges and universities who offer degrees in Speech or Communication Disorders will have an on-campus clinic (that may even offer services at a sliding pay scale).

Building Hope- Survivors inspire one another through a support group, by Lisa Pogue for Stroke Smart, January 1, 2012

It was months after his stroke before Reed Harris was able to say his wife’s name.

“When he did say it, I cried with utter joy,” Mary Harris says.

Harris, 55, had a stroke in 2007 and six months later became a charter member of a stroke support group. He teamed up with Bill Orlikowski, who had a stroke the same year, and today the two are known as the “Dynamic Duo” as they provide support and encourage rehabilitation through the Peer Visitor Program at Glancy Rehabilitation Center in Duluth, a suburb of Atlanta, GA.

“We help them to not be scared,” Harris says. “Some are young, 25 and 35 years old. They’re frightened. We build hope, listen.”

Harris is working through aphasia from his stroke and gives other survivors with aphasia hope when they see how far he’s come and the progress he continues to make. Laboring his way from sign language to halting words and simple phrases, Harris regained his ability to communicate and continues to strive toward improved writing and reading.

“Baby steps,” he says. “It’s baby steps with stroke.”

In a single year, Harris says he and Orlikowski visited 200 people. Bill does the talking and Harris is a great listener, which led to their nickname the Dynamic Duo.

“We walk with them some,” Harris adds. “There’s lots of laughing and smiles.”

After researching countless speech therapy programs throughout Georgia and the Southeast, Harris and his wife now travel to Columbia, SC to work on his speech with a doctor who specializes in aphasia. The couple agrees that continued therapy and participating in support groups is a huge help in the healing process.

Read complete article by clicking on HOPE.

ARC, the Aphasia Recovery Connection, can be found on Facebook. It is for people with aphasia, their families, and professionals. ARC’s mission is to help end the isolation of aphasia.

This from Carol Dow-Richards, Stroke Advocate & Writer, Support Group Facilitator

Las Vegas Events:
Stroke Club @ St. Rose meets on the 4th Thursday of the month at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals / Siena Campus
Aphasia Lunch Bunch meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at Black Mountain Grill
and on the 1st Tuesday of every month at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals / San Martin Campus.

Upcoming Events:
ARC Jam in June
Viva Las Vegas Aphasia and Stroke Conference
ARC Cruise / April 2014

Here is a comprehensive List for Stroke Support Groups in Illinois, listed by Cities. SUPPORT

Aphasia Hope is constantly asked about area Aphasia and Stroke Support or Conversation Groups. Please email the information on your support or conversation groups to sandycaudell@aphasiahope.org .

Beyond Words
Methodist Hospital, Heart & Vascular Center, Conference Room B on Ground Floor 6500 Excelsior Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN 55426
Meets 1st Tuesday of month from 1:30-2:00 pm. Support group for people dealing with communication disorders.
Contact: Karen Bjorgan
952-993-6789
Karen.bjorgan@parknicollet.com

Coffee & Conversation
The Stroke Center @ North Memorial Medical Center, 3300 Oakdale Ave N, Robbinsdale, MN 55422
Meets Mondays 10-11:30am. No registration, no cost.
Contact: Gail Lommen, M.S., CCC-SLP.
(763) 520-7375
Gail.Lommen@NorthMemorial.com

Communication Practice Group – Every Tuesday 1:45-3 pm; Speaker’s Group—Tuesdays (except the first Tuesday of the month) 1-2pm; Book Clubs—offered at two levels, select Mondays 9:45-11 am; Singing Group—1st and 3rd Tuesdays 11-12 am; Coffee Talk—every Tuesday 9:30-11; Dinner Club—evening at various locations, 2nd Monday
Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital Inspire Program
6500 Excelsior Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN 55426
Contact: Karen Bjorgan
952-993-6789
Karen.bjorgan@parknicollet.com

Courage Center Aphasia Support Group
Courage Center Residence, 1st floor Great Room, Golden Valley, MN
Meets Fridays from 10-11:00 a.m. Participation in this group is free.
Contact: Allison Isenberg
(763)520-0442

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APHASIA GROUPS AND CLASSES
Conversation support groups and classes for people with aphasia are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

These groups provide an opportunity for individuals who are living with aphasia to practice their communication skills with others who have aphasia. Groups and classes are facilitated by a speech-language pathologist. Download registration form for these classes.

For further information about groups and classes, contact the Center for Aphasia Research and Treatment, 312-238-6163 or e-mail Leora Cherney at Lcherney@ric.org.