Can you help this local charity get (re-)connected?
Aphasia Re-Connect (registered charity 1176125) provides support to over 400 people who have the acquired communication disability aphasia. They need 10 laptops to be able to deliver their social services to more Southwark residents!
This disability, which affects around a third of stroke survivors as well as people with other brain injuries, cancers, and infections, can result in difficulties with speaking, understanding what others are saying, reading, and writing. Those affected often lose friendships, are unable to return to work or hobbies, and can struggle to maintain family relationships. This leaves them isolated and alone, and at high risk for depression and anxiety.
This is where they come in. They provide opportunities for people with aphasia to re-connect with life, via groups such as our Southwark Drop-in, which happens in Southwark every Thursday morning. Around 40 people with aphasia living in or near to the Borough of Southwark access this group for friendship, communication support from our trained speech and language therapists, practical support with daily admin tasks, and more.
The group is looking for kind donations of tablets (Apple iOS 9.0+ or Android 5.0+) to use in the group and loan to members who do not have access to their own device.
The tablets would make a massive difference:
provide training on how to access digital communication methods such as Zoom and social media platforms, which open up the world of online communication and expand their social networks;
help access people specialist speech and language therapy apps to help support their language recovery;
access all of the resources that the internet provides to support richer and more interesting conversations;
help people to solve practical every-day problems.
Providing these services helps to build the skills and confidence of people living with aphasia in Southwark, supporting them to regain their lives as connected members of the community.