MnCAN Care Partner Support Group

While general stroke support groups can be very helpful for care partners, the specific challenge of aphasia often necessitates a different approach. The MnCAN Care Partner support group will provide opportunities for education about aphasia, as well as emotional support and peer sharing.

  • Anyone who cares for someone with aphasia is welcome. This could be a spouse, child, friend, sibling, etc.
  • Your partner does not have to participate in a MnCAN group.
  • We look forward to meeting you, hearing your stories, and sharing tips for self-care and education about aphasia. Come and gain the support of others going through the same journey.
  • A typical meeting includes: Introductions and Topic Sharing.  Topics include both speech-language aphasia related and self-care/emotional support related issues.
  • The group is currently meeting on Zoom!

When: 2nd Thursday of the month
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm

Meet the Care Partner Support Group Facilitator: Jessica Wald, MA, CCC-SLP

Jessica Wald, MA CCC-SLP,  has been a medical Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) for the past 20 years working in the hospital setting.  She graduated from St. Cloud State with a double major in Biomedical Sciences and Communication Disorders and got her Masters degree from the University of MN -Twin Cities.

While in graduate school, Jessica participated in an aphasia conversation group and an intensive aphasia camp. These experiences helped ignite her passion and interest in working with individuals with aphasia. Jessica has  worked in acute care, inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient settings and specifically enjoys connecting with individuals with aphasia and their family members with a goal of improving communication and essentially quality of life!

For the past 13 years Jessica has been in a leadership position at United Hospital in St. Paul, and now continues to work as an SLP at multiple Allina Hospitals. She has a passion for education and has taught classes on empathy, communication and patient experience, helped to supervise graduate students and mentor many SLPs alongside her colleagues.