NJ medical center helps patients with aphasia as Bruce Willis announces condition
MAYWOOD, New Jersey (WABC) -- A medical center in New Jersey is dedicated to treating solely aphasia patients, a condition highlighted after Bruce Willis announcement that he would be stepping away from his career due to the condition.
The Adler Aphasia Center in Maywood dedicated its workforce to solely treating aphasia patients.
Aphasia is a language disorder that impacts a person's ability to speak and is caused by brain injury.
"Many people say it's the feeling of having words on the top of your tongue but you can't get them out," said clinical director Karen Castka. "A person's thoughts, feelings, knowledge are still there, their ability to express it. That's the problem."
The goal for the patients at the Adler Aphasia Center is to help one another rebuild conversation skills.
They held a conversation gathering in the mornings at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. In the room, there were two attorneys, a nurse, a musician, a former councilman, and an interior designer all rooting for one another.
The center says 2 and a half million people in the United States have aphasia and 70,000 people in New Jersey.
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