Longtime stroke care partner to lead MnCAN board

MnCAN board member Lynette Lamb has been elected to serve as the nonprofit’s new Board President, effective October 1, 2023. She succeeds Staney Rostad, who is leaving the board for family reasons.

Lynette is the wife of longtime MnCAN conversation group participant Robert Gerloff, a stroke survivor since 2006. She is a retired magazine writer and editor as well as the author of the 2021 memoir Strokeland: My Husband’s Midlife Brainstorm and Its Ambivalent Aftermath.

Lynette says, “I have long been impressed with MnCAN’s programs and dedicated staff. I look forward to helping it grow so that more Minnesotans  with aphasia and their families can benefit from its services.”

Please come see us! 

MnCAN will be presenting at the Minnesota Statewide Stroke Conference with a presentation titled:

"All About Aphasia!  

Techniques for Supportive Conversation and Life Participation for

Patients in Hospital, Home and Community Settings"

Minnesota Statewide Stroke Conference

This conference is open to everyone. 

Click the link above to register and learn more details. We'd love to connect with you.

MnCAN participants and facilitators use many tools to support communication.

Check out this tool (below) - it's one of our favorites from the Aphasia Institute.

Care partners can help support conversation by trying different communication methods using this tool box. We recommend having copies of this around your home as a reminder of the "communication tools" care partners can use to provide support.

• Aphasia affects an estimated 2,500,000 in the United States
• 58% of people with aphasia would like to be doing more activities
• Reduced social contact is equivalent to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

Source: Aphasia Access: The State of Aphasia in North America: A CALL TO ACTION

Meet Bruce, a wonderful participant of MnCAN who brings joy, laughter and the best stories.

Here, Bruce shows how emojis are helpful when texting or emailing; picture supports go a long way in supporting communication.  The group listed emojis that describe their hobbies, careers & interests. Bruce loves bowling, was a dedicated train engineer for 40 years, and enjoys gardening and plants, especially hibiscus. 

Next time you are text messaging your loved one with aphasia, incorporate emojis when possible. It will really support their understanding. Encourage people with aphasia to use emojis as well, especially when spelling is challenging.

What does Bruce love about MnCAN? He enjoys "the friendly atmosphere" and "positive attitude" within his group.

Great work, Bruce.

MnCAN is so glad you are part of our community! 

Save the Date! 

Give to the Max Day

is November 16, 2023.  You can donate from November 1st - 16th.  Watch for another email with more details.

MnCAN Challenge: 

Develop a communicationscript!

Many celebrations are right around the corner. Developing a communication script can help conversations go smoother and boost confidence. Take a moment to develop your communication scripts for the Fall months. Unfamiliar with communication scripts? Read more about scripts here: Scripts for Aphasia 

Care Partners - help your loved one with aphasia develop their communication script.

Example scripts: 

Halloween:

"Your costume looks so scary."

"Two pieces of candy for you."

Veterans Day:

"Thank you for your service."

Thanksgiving:

"Can you please pass the turkey?"

What other event or activity can you develop a script for? Send us your photos.

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month.  We want you to be mindful of scams, phishing and more, especially with aphasia making it challenging to communicate and understand.  MnCAN would never ask you for money outside of our organization. 

Stay safe with these tips from America's Cyber Defense Agency:

• Urgent or emotionally appealing language, especially messages that claim dire consequences for not responding immediately
• Requests to send personal and financial information
• Untrusted shortened URLs
• Incorrect email addresses or links, like amazan.com

Read more about what you can do and watch for at Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency. 

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