I knew nothing about aphasia but support is helping me learn

Air ambulance paramedic Richard shares his story after suffering a stroke last year

- CHRIS MARZELLA

A rural Stirling dad has shared his experience of living with a communication disorder after suffering a stroke last year.

Richard Fisher, an air ambulance paramedic with the Scottish Ambulance Service, was left with the language disorder aphasia following a stroke he had in April last year.

Following this, he took part in the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) aphasia self-management course at the Bellfield Centre, in Stirling.

In more than two decades as a paramedic, Richard has seen his fair share of medical emergencies, but he admits his knowledge of stroke rehabilitation was limited.

When it comes to aphasia - a language disorder often affecting stroke victims - Richard admits his knowledge was even more scarce.

Over the past year, the 49-year-old has become all too familiar with both conditions after suffering a stroke during an overnight stay in London.

Richard stated: “I knew enough about stroke to get someone to A&E as safely as possible. And over the years, I've responded to a lot of calls for people who have had a stroke. But aphasia is not something we learned about when I joined the ambulance service.

“I knew nothing about it until it happened to me. Then I felt as though I'd been cut off from the world because I couldn’t communicate the way I used to.”

Aphasia can impact speech production, understanding of speech, reading, writing and using numbers.

People suffering from aphasia may exhibit a spectrum of symptoms, with some experiencing one or more, and others dealing with the full range; the extent of impairment can also vary significantly from person-to-person.