Newly diagnosed: aphasia
Just diagnosed with aphasia? Here is this week.
Just diagnosed with aphasia and asking what now: the sentence that matters most is that aphasia takes words, not the person. The thinking, the memories and the humor are all still there, and ExpressAgain, built by a daughter whose mother lost speech to severe aphasia, gives the patient a way to be heard today and gets the family and the doctors onto one record this week.
What to do this week
Say the first words today
On the Communicate page, one tap on a phrase says it out loud. Build a message puts a sentence together from starters like I am and What about; Type lets a family member type anything and have it spoken; Letters is an alphabet board for spelling a word. A 3 at a time switch shows fewer choices on hard days, and there is no timer.
Where it lives: Communicate page · Read how it works
Put every doctor on the Care Team page
One card per person: a name, a role and a phone number to tap and call. A card has no login; when a clinician should read the record, Give access turns the card into a login with a single-use code for that discipline, and the person joins at the IDC Team sign-in.
Where it lives: Care Team page · Read how it works
Start the care plan
Choose Set up the patient's care: a few questions, one per screen, saved as you answer. The answers decide which parts of the plan are needed now, open the pages where they live, and become the patient's plan at the top of the menu.
Where it lives: Getting started, Set up the patient's care · Read how it works
Plan the homecoming now, not on discharge day
Coming Home holds the checklists for the discharge conversation, and the therapy team's home recommendations arrive there from their own dashboard, each marked Done, In progress or Need help, so the house is ready before the car pulls in.
Where it lives: Coming Home page · Read how it works
Today: the first words out loud, every doctor on one page, the plan started and the homecoming planned, on the Free plan.
How to start
Create a free account: your name, email, a password and who the app is for, with the patient's name. Communicating is never behind a paywall, so nothing on this page waits on a card.
The first time you sign in, choose Set up the patient's care or Start talking now: a few questions, one per screen, saved as you answer, that open the right pages first and become the patient's plan.
From My People, tap Invite family and friends: each person gets a personal link that works once and a role (full access, family, or extended). On the Care Team page, add every doctor as a card to tap and call.
Read next
- Just got the diagnosis? Here's what to do next.
- Home care, home health, hospice or palliative care? What each one means, and when you need it.
- Do you really need a caregiver, or do you need a nurse?
- How to choose the right care provider for your loved one.
- How to build a care schedule for your parent or loved one.
- The tools and equipment you'll actually need to care for someone at home.
- How to coordinate family visits without overwhelming anyone.
- Caregiver burnout is real. Here's how to protect yourself.
Questions people ask
Does aphasia affect intelligence?
No. Aphasia affects language: finding, saying, understanding, reading or writing words. The person's thinking, memories and personality are still there, which is why adult conversation matters so much; the blog's What aphasia is, and what it isn't says more.
Which mode do we choose in the setup?
Aphasia and Stroke is the core library every other mode builds on. Choose it in the guided setup; it can be changed any day from the sidebar or the Profile page.
Can the speech therapist use the app with us?
Yes. Give access on the therapist's Care Team card mints a code for Speech therapist (SLP); the therapist joins at the IDC Team sign-in and can assign exercises that appear on the patient's Practice page.
Is it free to start?
Yes. Free is where everyone starts, and communicating is never behind a paywall: tap to speak, the phrase boards, the sentence builder, Letters, the Phrase Library, lessons, Games and Play, the emergency screen, the Emergency Plan Card and the built-in voice. Free also invites 2 family members to the Family and Friends Feed. The Pricing page shows the plans side by side.
What happens after I sign up?
Sign up asks for your name, email and a password, and who the app is for. Then the guided setup takes four short steps: who the app is for and the condition mode, text and button sizes, a voice and the first people, then a review. Entering the patient's name and date of birth pins the two phrases hospitals ask for constantly.