Terence
Hill supports people suffering from aphasia in a television
spot made for L'Associazione Italiana Afasici (A.IT.A.onlus)
produced and aired by Italian TV channel Rai.
Terence:
"For most of us it is easy to talk, read, write and listen
- to communicate with each other. For 100.000 people suffering
from aphasia (in Italy) it is not. They need more time to
perform those tasks." You can view the TV spot by clicking on the play button.
What is aphasia?
Aphasia is an impairment of language, affecting the production
or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write.
Aphasia is always due to injury to the brain, most commonly
from a stroke, particularly in older individuals. The use
of speech to communicate is unique to humans. When speech
is impaired or absent, the impact on the person and his family
is profound. One of the most heartbreaking and devastating
disabilities is aphasia. Most people have not heard about
aphasia, nor do they know the term until someone in their
family or a friend acquires aphasia. It may affect mainly
a single aspect of language use, such as the ability to retrieve
the names of objects, or the ability to put words together
into sentences, or the ability to read. More commonly, however,
multiple aspects of communication are impaired, while some
channels remain accessible for a limited exchange of information.
How many people have aphasia?
It has been estimated that about one million people in the
United States have acquired aphasia. The majority are the
result of stroke. About one third of severely head-injured
persons have aphasia.
Who can have aphasia?
Aphasia may occur in persons of any age, sex, race, or nationality.
Can aphasia be cured?
No medicine or drugs have been known to cure aphasia, as yet.
