SAFETY EXPERT TROOPER STEVE. THIS IS NEWS. 6 AT 09:00AM GETTING RESULTS.
>> CANDACE: LAST WEEK ACTOR
BRUCE WILLIS ANNOUNCED HE’S
RETIRING FROM HIS ACTING
CAREER. DUCE SYMPTOMS OF
APHASIA. HIS FAMILY SAID IN A
STATEMENT THE CONDITION IS
IMPACTED THE DIE HARD STAR
COGNITIVE ABILITY. IT WAS A
SHOCK FOR THE WORLD TO HEAR.
THE 67 YEAR-OLD WAS HAVING
ISSUES COMMUNICATING. BUT IT’S
A LANGUAGE DISORDER THAT AT
LEAST 2 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE
UNITED STATES STRUGGLE WITH,
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL
APHASIA ASSOCIATION. SO WHAT
EXACTLY IS APHASIA AND HOW DO
YOU GET IT?
>> MORNING ANCHOR AND HEALTH
REPORTER KIRSTIN O’CONNOR
STANDING BY NOW TO ASK, ASK A
DOCTOR IS SPONSORED BY CAN BE
PRIMARY CARE PROCEEDINGS.
>> WELL, ISN’T A TERM EVERYONE
IS FAMILIAR WITH FOR A LOT OF
US. BRUCE WILLIS’S
ANNOUNCEMENT MAY HAVE BEEN THE
VERY FIRST TIME THAT YOU’VE
HEARD EVENTS. WE WANTED TO
FIND OUT MORE FROM A
SPECIALIST. AND THAT’S WHY
DOCTOR CARLOS KIYARO A
NEUROLOGIST WITH ADVENTHEALTH
JOINS US NOW FOR ASK A DOCTOR.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE FOR
SOME PLEASURE. THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME. AND SO APHASIA IS
SOMETHING THAT IS A SIGN OF
SOMETHING ELSE, RIGHT? THAT’S
HOW WE KIND OF DESCRIBED IT
EARLIER WHEN WE WERE TALKING.
RIGHT. SO IT’S MAINLY A
SYMPTOM OF NEUROLOGIC MOST
OFTEN WE SEE IT WITH OTHER
TIMES WE SEE IT WITH DEMENTIA.
>> AND IT’S MAINLY THE
DEGRADATION OF THAT CAN BE
PARTIAL COMPLETE DIFFERENT
ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE. YOUR
ABILITY TO SPEAK OR YOUR
ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND. AND IN
SOME CASES, BOTH.
>> AND SO WHEN YOU HEARD THAT
BRUCE WILLIS’S FAMILY MADE
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, YOU KNEW AS
A SPECIALIST THAT THAT COULD
BE A SIGN OF SOMETHING ELSE
LIKE A STROKE OR EVEN
DEMENTIA.
>> RIGHT. AND SO DEPENDING ON
WHY. APHASIA COME DO WHAT THE
CAUSE BEHIND IT. IT REALLY
DEPENDS ON THE PROGRESSION. SO
STROKES USUALLY CAN KURT.
WELL, THEY BEGIN WITH MOST
SEVERE SYMPTOMS FIRST. AND
THEN THERE’S SOME IMPROVEMENT.
WHEREAS SOMETHING LIKE
DEMENTIA, YOU’LL HAVE MORE
SLOWLY PROGRESSIVE SYMPTOMS
AND WILL JUST GET WORSE OVER
TIME.
>> I’M SURE WHEN PEOPLE COME
TO YOU AND YOU KNOW, THEY’RE
ALREADY AT IN ROLLA, JUST
OFFICE. THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED
SOME SORT OF I’M PRETTY
OBVIOUS SYMPTOM. BUT WHAT ARE
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS THAT YOU
THINK PEOPLE NEED TO LOOK OUT
AND MAYBE IT IS AFTER SOME
SORT OF A A CAR ACCIDENT OR OR
SOMETHING LIKE A HEART ATTACK
WHERE YOU ARE LOOKING OUT FOR
STROKE OR AN ACTUAL INJURY TO
THE BRAIN. RIGHT. SO, YOU
KNOW.
>> IF IT’S STROKE, IT’S GOING
TO PRESENT VERY QUICKLY.
YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE WORD
FINDING DIFFICULTIES, YOU
KNOW, NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND
THE RIGHT WORD GOING AROUND,
TRYING TO CALL UP. AND YOU
KNOW THAT THAT THING YOU WRITE
WITH, FOR EXAMPLE, OR NOT
BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOUR FAMILY YOUR LOVED ONE IS
TELLING YOU. AND SO THOSE ARE
VERY IMPORTANT SIGNS TO BE
LOOKING OUT FOR, ESPECIALLY
WHEN IT COMES TO STROKE. NOW
AND IN OLDER ADULTS. WE ALSO
HAVE TO LOOK AT THOSE THINGS
OVER TIME. AND AS PEOPLE ARE
CONTINUING TO HAVE MORE AND
MORE DIFFICULTY, THAT MAY BE A
SIGN THAT THEY SHOULD DISCUSS
WITH THEIR PRIMARY CARE
DOCTOR, MAYBE SEEK FURTHER
HELP.
>> NOW, SOME HAVE SAID THAT
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BRUCE
WILLIS HAS CAUSED SOME
MISCOMMUNICATION OR
MISINFORMATION ABOUT APHASIA
BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE WORRIED
THAT HE’S NEVER GOING TO GET
BETTER OR HE’S I’M DEALING
WITH SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW,
PREVENTED HIM FROM CONTINUING
HIS CAREER. BUT WE DON’T
REALLY KNOW WHAT IT IS. SOME
BIG MYSTERY.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ABOUT
TREATMENT FOR APHASIA?
TREATMENT FOR APHASIA IS
USUALLY DONE BY SPEECH
THERAPIST. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY
PLAY A HUGE ROLE WITH STROKE
BECAUSE SYMPTOMS ARE WORSE AT
THE BEGINNING. YOU’RE GOING TO
HAVE SOME GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT
AND THE MORE THERAPY EARLIER
ON THE BETTER, YOU KNOW, IN
WHEREAS WITH DIMENTIA, YOU’RE
GOING TO HAVE. THE GOAL IS
REALLY TO MAXIMIZE THE ABILITY
OF THE PATIENTS TO COMMUNICATE
WITH THEIR LOVED ONES AND
REALLY GET GET THOSE MESSAGES
WHILE IT DOESN’T REALLY
IMPROVE THAT THE OUTCOME, IT
MAY IMPROVE HOW WELL THEY CAN
COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR LOVED
ONES. BUT SPEECH THERAPY IS
REALLY THAT THE MAINSTAY OF
TREATMENT.
>> AND WHEN YOU HEAR THAT
BRUCE WILLIS HAS APHASIA, IT’S
NOT SOMETHING AS FAR AS I
UNDERSTAND. IT’S NOT SOMETHING
THAT YOU CAN DIE FROM. IT IS
JUST A SYMPTOM OF ANOTHER
PROBLEM, RIGHT? SO EFFICIENT.
THE.
>> THE MAIN THING IS A
LANGUAGE DYSFUNCTION AND
THERE’S AN UNDERLYING CAUSE
WHETHER THAT STROKE OR MAYBE,
YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE CAN HAVE
VERY BRIEF EPISODES WITH
MIGRAINES AS WELL AND SERVE.
IT REALLY HAS TO IT. WE DON’T
KNOW JUST BECAUSE WE DON’T
KNOW WHY WHY IT HAPPENED. WE
JUST KNOW IT’S THERE, BUT WE
DON’T KNOW WHY IT WAS RESENT
IT.
>> AND WE’RE LEARNING MORE, OF
COURSE, EVERY DAY. AND AND
WHAT THE FAMILY DECIDES TO
SHARON DOES NOT DECIDE TO
SHARE. WHAT WOULD YOU WANT
VIEWERS TO KNOW IF THEY FEEL
LIKE SOMEONE IN THEIR FAMILY
MAY BE DEALING WITH APHASIA?
CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW.
>> ASK YOUR PRIMARY CARE
DOCTOR AND BE BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR THOSE THINGS
JOURNAL DOWN AND YOU KNOW, IF
ONCE IN AWHILE, OKAY. BUT YOU
KNOW, ONCE IN A WHILE OVER
TIME REPEATEDLY BECOMES
CONCERNING. SO JUST MAKE SURE
YOU ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS.
AND IF THERE’S ANY, IF THEY
NEED EXTRA HELP, YOU KNOW,
GENERAL NEUROLOGIST, OTHER
NEUROLOGIST ARE HERE TO HELP
AND WE CAN GET MORE TESTING
DONE AND LOOK FURTHER INTO IT.