6/23/20- Summer session is over! Stay tuned for details on the fall semester. You will receive a letter in the mail in August!
5/14/20- We start a 6-week summer session tomorrow, Friday, May 15th.
Group 1 meets at 11:00-12:30- CLICK TO START
Group 2 meets 11:45-1:15- CLICK TO START
Book Club 1 meets from 9:30-11:00- CLICK TO START
Book Club 2 meets from 1:00-2:30- CLICK TO START
Book club materials can be found here
4/23/20
Twenty-five or so people with aphasia have been attending the aphasia groups online. We have been running two conversation/ language activity groups and two book clubs every Friday. It took some time to get everyone online and connected but, in the end, it has been pretty successful with a few modifications. For the conversation/language groups, we have really relied on help from someone at home. Normally each person is paired with a student who can help push each individual or who can read the words or drawings written down and translate for the rest of us. We appreciate that you are now doing that for your person at home! We send out an agenda for each group ahead of time to help get everyone oriented so they’ll know what to expect and can even prepare answers if they want. Tomorrow, Friday, is our last scheduled meeting. Students are in their final weeks of the semester and will be done with final exams in two weeks.
SUMMER TERM!!
We have 10 students who have volunteered to continue to run online group sessions for a six-week period starting May 15 and ending June 19. This will allow for continued practice of your language skills even though our social contact has changed so dramatically since March. If you are interested in taking part in this 6-week session, please let me (or a student on Friday) know so that I can re-distribute groups if necessary and assign students. If you have not been continuing but would like to JOIN US, let me know and we will get you all set up! I suspect that our internet connections will all be a little better in the summer when all of the universities are done. More bandwidth left for the rest of us!
4/3/20
We met online last week. There were some bumps in the road but overall it was a success and provides us with a starting point. We will get better from here.
Group times are the same as last week and the links are the same. They are listed below in 3/26/20 note but you should also have received a note from the person leading group this week. Students will be sending you an agenda to make it easier for people to follow along. We had two suggestions/questions in GROUP 1
1) Please include the person at home the same way we would include a student facilitator— We are planning to do this for all who are interested and we appreciate your willingness to be involved!
2) Might a word bank help my spouse help to follow along/ contribute? This is different for everyone. For some people that’s a great idea. For some it would be confusing. You know your person better than anyone. What do you think would help him or her follow along and contribute best?
Students have worked with people who were having tech difficulty. Please let us know if you still need help!
3/26/20
Aphasia groups will meet online TOMORROW, FRIDAY, 3/27/20!
Group 1 meets at 11:00-12:30- CLICK TO START
Group 2 meets 11:45-1:15- CLICK TO START
Book Club 1 meets from 1:15-2:45- CLICK TO START
Book Club 2 meets from 1:00-2:30- CLICK TO START
3/21/20
Book club materials can be found here
3/21/20
This email was sent out today. Please send me your email address if you didn’t receive it! My email address is jennifer.mozeiko@uconn.edu.
Dear Aphasia Group Members and Families,
UConn is closed for at least the rest of the semester but we would like to attempt to use technology to keep us connected. Students will continue to run groups but they will all be done via WebEx. WebEx is quite easy and to get you started a student will perform a test run with you before we meet on Friday. All you need is a phone, a tablet/ iPad, or a computer of some sort.
Please answer the following:
- Are you interested in participating in an online group? (yes/no)
- Do you have a phone, tablet, or computer that you can use? (which one/ none)
- Will there be someone at home to help you out/troubleshoot if necessary? (yes, no, not necessary)
For those interested, a student will contact you to determine whether you want to just do a test run or do a call first and then a test run.
I am emailing this to all current and to some past group members as well and also some who would like to join but have not yet been able to. If you are not a current member of our aphasia groups but want to join us on these calls, we would *love* to have you! I ask that everyone PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL with answers to the questions above ASAP. If I don’t hear from our current members, I will assume that you did not get the message and we will follow up with a phone call early next week.
3/19/20
- If you are over 60 or are wary about going outside for any reason, I’d suggest trying out grocery delivery. https://www.instacart.com You choose the store you want and a shopper delivers it to your door. Very easy.
- I started a private group for our UConn members a few years ago on Facebook. I think this would be a good time to go back to that. It will be easier for all of us (students and families and group members) to share resources. You can search for the group called “Group for People with Aphasia” or go directly to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1841700429189609
- Something FUN!– the results of our photo shoot are here- https://photos.app.goo.gl/NHCSNsJeC9X7mQym9 Tell me which are your favorites!
3/15/20
It was only group sessions that were cancelled before today. Now, ALL outpatient services through the clinic have been cancelled until further notice.
3/14/20
Found this great service pairing volunteers with people who need help. Free for anyone over 70 years old. https://urcommunitycares.org/index.php/home/about
3/13/20
Aphasia groups WILL be held today at the normal times. This will be our last face-face meeting for three weeks at least.
3/12/20
Hi all, I will keep a running list of news and information here on this website. This is the email I sent out to all group members today:
Dear Aphasia group members and families,
As you may have heard, UConn is closing the campus for the next three weeks. Here’s what I want you to know:
- We *will* hold group this Friday as usual. I’ve made this decision in conjunction with our clinical director and department head. We agree that there is very low risk at this time with zero cases of COVID reported locally. We also take extra precautions and wipe down all surfaces and chairs just before our meeting. If you have *any* concerns about getting sick or if you are feeling unwell, please take no risks and stay home. Please just let me know.
- We will attempt to hold some online groups for those who are interested at your regular Friday group times. We will use WEBEX to do this and will send you instructions beforehand. We will be providing resources for those interested including the book club questions
- Please check my website for any updates. It is here: https://aphasia-rehab.slhs.uconn.edu/ On the top, far right, I’ve added a tab that says *GROUP UPDATES HERE!*. Please check here for any info and email or call me directly with questions or concerns. Jennifer.mozeiko@uconn.edu 860-420-9828
Stay healthy!
Jen
—
Jennifer Mozeiko, PhD, CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
CT Institute for Brain and Cognitive Science, Affiliate
University of Connecticut
@jenmozeiko