Esther García is 21 years old and is finishing her speech therapy studies. Lucía Torres is 22 and has just finished Engineering and Business Management. The two are roommates and live in Valencia. As colleagues, they are used to sharing their experiences and feelings. So in the most natural way Esther told Lucía that Eight years ago his father had a stroke that left him with aphasia..
“I told her about my father’s situation and also that I was studying aphasia in college,” says Esther. “And my engineering brain thought this has to have a solution”Lucía continues.
In February they began to shape Wordinessa mobile application which has been in operation since September.
In the case of Esther’s father, He knows what he wants to say but he can’t put it into words.. “He has difficulty expressing language and has had very little recovery in this time,” says Esther.
Esther’s father communicates with his family by saying single words, pointing at what he wants, making gestures and looking for photos on his cell phone. “In the end we also speak for him when we accompany him to places like the bank or the pharmacy,” explains Esther. “I wouldn’t want this to sound bad, but I I felt that such communication was not worthy of an adult.. Before the stroke my father could do a lot of things and now he can’t argue, give me advice or tell me a joke. When human beings are made to relate. I always explain to people that relating to him is like playing Pictionary all day and Guessing Riddles.”
This is how it was born Wordinessa communication facilitator for people with language disorders. At the moment it is especially designed for aphasia, but it can also be used for people with dysarthria and apraxia.
Palaver uses generative artificial intelligence. The tool converts a word, written or spoken in audio, into a complete sentence that fits the context of the person with aphasia. Several phrases appear to the user that they can use and they choose the one that best suits what they want to say. You can read this phrase (if your aphasia allows it) or the application itself plays it in audio. “Our desire is to return communicative independence to those who have lost it,” says Lucía. The choice of generative artificial intelligence is so that the application adapts to each person. Artificial intelligence allows create personalized phrases based on the information provided by the user.
“Since I didn’t understand anything about this world, I see it in a very basic way: I thought of aphasia as having a very low level of a language. If my father goes abroad with such a low level of English, I am going to have to interpret for him. That is Wordinessa tool that you carry in your pocket and acts as an interpreter”.
Each person with aphasia is different. Esther’s father’s has nothing to do with many other types of aphasia. That is why for the development of Palabrería Lucía and Esther have spoken with different associations, professionals and also with some people with aphasia to find out their needs. “We are trying to Wordiness adapts to different types of aphasiabut we still have a way to go,” says Lucía. Users, associations and professionals tell them their realities and needs. “Our goal is to reach as many people as possible so that they can communicate,” says Esther.
At the moment all those involved are offering a very positive response. “There is interest in a tool like this”says Lucia. “The associations are very happy.”
The wish of the founders is that Palabrería becomes a complement to the rehabilitation of all people with aphasia. “Wordiness it forces you to create language, even if it’s just a word. It stimulates your expression. People with aphasia need constant rehabilitation and we think that Wordiness It can be very useful,” explains Esther.
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