Episode #112: Aphasia 3D: In conversation with Dr. Assunção (Maria) Matos and Paula Valente

Welcome to the Aphasia Access Conversations Podcast. I'm Jerry Hoepner. I'm a professor at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and co-facilitator of the Chippewa Valley Aphasia Camp, Blugold Brain Injury Group, Mayo Brain Injury Group, and Thursday Night Poets. I'm also a member of the Aphasia Access Podcast Working Group. Aphasia Access strives to provide members with information, inspiration, and ideas that support their aphasia care through a variety of educational materials and resources. I'm today's host for an episode that will feature Paula Valente and Dr. Assunção (Maria) Matos from the Portuguese Institute of Aphasia (IPA). In this episode, we'll be discussing Paula and Maria's role in building three dimensional social, LPAA in Portugal from the ground up. Biosketch:

Paula Valente is a Speech and Language Therapist, social entrepreneur and responsible for the creation of IPA. She realized that there are important gaps in the therapeutic interventions that are offered to the person with aphasia in Portugal. With the support of partners in Portugal and in another countries, and with a team consisting of a speech therapist, a psychologist, a social worker and volunteers, Paula is convinced that the path will not be easy, but it's possible.

Dr. Assunção (Maria) Matos is a Lecturer at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. Her work is grounded in the WHO-ICF model and social, LPAA approaches to aphasia rehabilitation. As one of Paula's teachers, she influenced the development of the IPA and is a crucial partner in the innovative programming that they offer. Take aways: Shift to Social Approach: SLPs in Portugal moved from a medical model to a social approach in aphasia intervention, realizing the limitations of traditional speech therapy alone. Comprehensive Support Program: EPA in Portugal offers a wide range of services, including therapy, psychology, and caregiver support, aiming to enhance the lives of people with aphasia and their families. Limited Services in Portugal: EPA is the sole organization providing such extensive aphasia support in Portugal, serving the entire country, with an emphasis on online services to reach distant regions. Professional Training Focus: Assunção Matos emphasizes holistic training for speech-language pathology students, preparing them for diverse practice settings by exposing them to various intervention approaches. Fundraising Challenges: EPA faces fundraising challenges in Portugal due to limited access to funds and philanthropic support. To sustain their services, they generate revenue through clinical services, therapy programs, online courses, and book sales. They also have associates who contribute annually. Despite challenges, they are working to demonstrate the effectiveness of their approach to gain government support for sustainable funding.

Interview Transcript: Jerry Hoepner: Well, it is my privilege today to have a conversation with Paula and Maria. So, we're going to just begin talking about the programming that they've started within Portugal. And I'm just really excited to have this conversation. I think this is a unique conversation for aphasia access. Because we're really get to talk about the process of building a program within a country from the ground up from scratch. So, I think we're used to stepping into this process partway through and again. This will be a really fun conversation. So welcome, Maria and Paula. And yeah, welcome to Aphasia Access.

Assunção Matos: Okay, thank you. Thank you, Jerry, for the great opportunity of being here with you, sharing our experiences and our dreams. It's an honor to be here with you. Honestly, thank you.

Paula Valente: I make my [unintelligible]. It's the same. Thank you very much.

Jerry Hoepner: Absolutely. I have to say I was really privileged to have some conversations with Maria and Paula at the IARC Convention in Philadelphia last spring. So got the opportunity to meet there. And obviously reall