The goal of the Communicative Access and Aphasia Community of Practice (CoP) is to help health care professionals, researchers and policy-makers to reduce language barriers that interfere with full life-participation (including access to information and decision-making) for seniors who have aphasia or who ‘know more than they can say’.
Improved communicative access for these seniors depends largely upon the ability of their speaking partners to interact and exchange information effectively. In order to expand the capacity of the health care sector in Ontario to provide communicatively accessible services, The Communicative Access CoP provides a series of webinars on “Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia” (SCA).
Our CoP provides an opportunity to bring together care-givers, researchers and policy-makers in the early stages of research in order to increase the chance of uptake for the evidence that is generated. We also bring the knowledge of leading international researchers to our members through online webinars.
The CoP works with other SHRTN Communities of Practice so that crucial health care information on a variety of important topics (such as diabetes, falls, oral care, blood pressure) can be provided to individuals with communication challenges.
Our membership of over 800 consists of health-care professionals, researchers, policy-makers, educators, and students.
Our CoP is also sponsored by the Aphasia Institute (www.aphasia.ca). Since 1979, the Aphasia Institute has been providing leadership in developing and sharing innovating solutions to living with aphasia.
All members of the Communicative Access and Aphasia CoP receive three free tools:
Elyse Shumway
CoP Lead, Speech-Language Pathologist, Education Consultant, Aphasia Institute
416.830.8659
Fax: 905.257.5985
eshumway@aphasia.ca
Terry Kirkpatrick
Knowledge Broker
613.762.7752
tekirkp@sympatico.ca
Mary Beth Forget, Information Specialist
905-444-9323 (Monday-Thursday)
416-785-2500X 2393 (Friday only)
mforget@baycrest.org