A stroke survivors’ support group that meets weekly in Elmira will receive a $1,000 grant from the township, councillors decided this week.
The Expressive Café has been operating from the Woolwich Memorial Centre since last September.
The group had asked for a $5,000 grant for 2013, but missed last fall’s submission deadline. For this year, the request was treated as a special assistance grant, with a $1,000 cap.
In a presentation in council chambers Tuesday night, Elmira resident Frank Austin, who suffers from aphasia following a stroke almost five years ago, said the financial support would help sustain the group’s activities, which started last September in space provided by the Woolwich Seniors Association.
The new group is the only one in the area, drawing participants from the region, Guelph and other parts of Wellington County.
Michele Anderson, a speech-language pathologist who co-founded the Expressive Café with Austin, said the weekly social interaction allows stroke victims to work on their communication skills. Aphasia, usually the result of a stroke or brain injury, impairs the ability to use or comprehend words. As a result, sufferers may become isolated due to their difficulties with communication. The group allows victims to work on those skills in a supportive environment, she added.
Of the approximately 900 stroke victims in Waterloo-Wellington each year, about a third will suffer from aphasia, said Anderson. That means there are about 300 people who could benefit from what the group is doing.
In response to a question from Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis, she said the new organization sees the potential to reach a wider segment of those dealing with aphasia. To date, there have been discussions with a seniors’ group in Cambridge and a hospital in Guelph about offering programs there.
“Our vision is big,” said Anderson, noting the work is important as victims can’t simply turn back the clock to the way things were before the stroke.
In quickly moving support for the grant request, Coun. Allan Poffenroth called the group a “great idea” that deserves consideration when councillors look at grant requests in the 2014 budget.
“Hopefully there will be more next year.”
