Henry “Hank” S., 79, of Cogan Station, Pa., was active in his church and working part-time for a local bee apiary in August 2024 when he suffered a medical event.
It was a typical afternoon when suddenly everything went black. Hank woke up on the kitchen floor, unsure what had happened to him. He took a short drive to his daughter and son-in-law’s house to deliver a package. Once there, his speech wasn’t making sense — it became clear that he needed medical attention.
At the hospital, doctors ruled out an epilepsy-related seizure, which Hank had experienced before. They quickly diagnosed Hank with a massive stroke. Although doctors warned that his condition was severe, Hank was alert and able to speak the names of his family members the next day.
However, over the next week in the stroke unit, Hank began to show signs of Wernicke’s aphasia. This language disorder affects a person’s ability to understand and communicate through speech and writing.
A Frustrating Language Disorder
Wernicke’s aphasia is also called fluent aphasia. It is typically the result of a stroke in the left temporal lobe. Someone with this disorder may be able to speak long sentences, but the words don’t always make sense together or aren’t exactly what the person is trying to say. They may also struggle to comprehend written or spoken text, making working, driving, reading, and conversing difficult.
The frustrating part of fluent aphasia is that most people, like Hank, do not have any cognitive issues. But when they try to speak, they can’t make the words they want, which can be demoralizing and isolating.
While Hank was recovering in the stroke unit, his primary care doctor, Fnu Zain Ul Abideen, MD, worked as an advocate with both the family and insurance company to determine the best next step, which was in-house rehabilitation.
Hours of Daily Therapy
In-house rehabilitation began after a week in the stroke unit. Hank spent hours in physical, occupational, speech, recreation, and psychological therapies daily.
“The rehab experience was simply amazing,” says Jo. “They immediately had him covered and I knew he was in the best hands.”
After 10 days of intensive in-house rehab, Hank was ready to be discharged and continue healing from home. He could receive at-home care or drive to UPMC Rehabilitation Institute in Williamsport for therapy visits twice a week.
“We had such a great experience during the in-house rehab that we knew we wanted to come here for outpatient rehab, too,” says Jo. “We enjoy coming here and seeing everyone.”
The typical tasks used for occupational therapy include cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. But these are tasks Hank doesn’t typically do. That’s when his occupational therapist, Meghan Sandonato, had an idea.
She brought basket weaving materials and a finished basket she had made into the facility. She asked Hank to deconstruct the finished basket to help him see how it was put together. Then, over the course of a few sessions, Hank was able to make his own, new basket with Meghan’s help.
“He immediately responded to it, the whole process of giving his hands something to do paired with Wernicke’s aphasia so he had to think, problem solve, and connect it to his hands,” says Jo. “It was such an innovative approach and so personalized, which was important for his mechanical processes to improve.”
After Hank had deconstructed and reconstructed a few baskets, he moved on to doing the same with a wooden toddler’s chair, including taking it apart, sanding it down with a palm sander and by hand, putting it back together, and staining it. “The therapists’ ability to think outside the box and create projects that really fit his personality and problem areas is incredible,” Jo remarks.
Now that it’s time for speech therapy, Hank and Jo continue visiting UPMC Rehabilitation Institute twice weekly for back-to-back visits.
“Occupational therapy paired with speech therapy come together well,” says Jo. “Both therapists have stayed with him and continued his will to fight, which means everything to us.”
Ongoing Recovery Support
Jo also credits their faith, family, and community for helping them recover during this difficult time. A small bible study group that Hank was a part of now visits the house weekly to sit and chat slowly with Hank.
“They do their best to make him laugh and are so important to his healing,” says Jo. “They are truly loyal friends, and that’s monumental when you’re recuperating.”
Like anyone, Hank and Jo have their good days and bad days. Hank’s recovery is ongoing as he regains his understanding of language and communication. But Jo is just grateful that tailored, quality health care is available only 15 minutes from their house.
“The entire staff at UPMC has been wonderful – from the stroke ward to rehab to the cafeteria to the cleaning crew to the doctors, nurses, everyone. Not only are they professional, but compassionate, understanding of his condition, and providing top-notch quality care.
“We couldn’t have been more appreciative, and they remain a huge part of Hank’s healing journey.”
Hank’s treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.