School of Communication Science & Disorders (SCSD) Assistant Professors Dr. Elizabeth B. Madden, Dr. Christopher Constantino, and Associate Professor Dr. Michelle Therrien, with now-alumni Ana Vilfort-Garces, along with co-authors Dr. Lucinda Graven (Associate Professor at FSU College of Nursing), Dr. Lauren Bislick (University of Central Florida), Dr. Sarah E. Wallace (University of Pittsburgh), and Dr. Rachel Goff-Albritton (Assistant Director of Research Advancement and Mentoring in the FSU Office of Research Development) recently had their paper published in the Topics in Language Disorders Journal.

The study, Caregiving and Friendship: Perspectives from Care Partners of People with Aphasia, aimed to understand how caregiving for a loved one with stroke and aphasia, a communication disorder, impacts the caregiver’s friendships and social well-being over time, comparing caregivers’ perceptions of their friendship before caregiving, during the early days of caregiving, and the current time. 

Dr. Elizabeth Madden mentored Ana Vilfort-Garces on this project for her Master’s thesis, where both Dr. Madden and Ana were involved with all aspects of the research. Their co-authors aided in the data collecting, editing, and publishing process. 

“We hope readers realize the important role that caregivers play in caring for stroke survivors with aphasia,” says Dr. Madden. “And they take away that while caregiving can be very rewarding and provide a sense of purpose, it can also result in many negative social and health outcomes for caregivers and therefore more attention to caregiver’s experiences and needs is warranted and more resources and supports are needed.”