The Aphasia Institute in Toronto receives prestigious Robin Tavistock Award

This award, named after Robin Tavistock, the 14th Duke of Bedford who founded The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia, is presented annually to a person, or group, who has made a significant contribution in the field of Aphasia. This is its sixth year.

Duchess of Bedford (pictured right) presented the Award to Aura Kagan, who accepted the Award on behalf of the Aphasia Institute in Toronto

For over 30 years, the Aphasia Institute, incorporating the Pat Arato Aphasia Centre, has anticipated and adapted to the needs of their clients and community by spearheading new initiatives to support those affected by Aphasia - an acquired disorder caused by damage to the brain through either stroke, brain tumour or a brain injury. The Aphasia Institute combines innovative service delivery with education and research to give hope to people with Aphasia and their families by developing and sharing innovative solutions that reduce language barriers to full life participation.

Pat Arato is quoted as saying that ‘Aphasia is not life threatening, but it stops people from having a life’. The Institute has been a leader in finding ways to ensure that people with Aphasia and their families regain their quality of life. The Institute under Aura Kagan’s leadership and vision has pioneered work in all sorts of ways, including evidence-based methods for training conversation partners, and encouraging clinicians and researchers to focus on the impact and real-life challenges of Aphasia. Today the Institute continues to provide local services through the Pat Arato Aphasia Centre and to push the boundaries in education, training, research and outreach.

Significantly, the work of the Institute, and the Pat Arato Aphasia Centre, has not only made a major contribution within Canada, but its influence has spread across the world. There are many in the UK who are indebted to them for inspiration. Through this award we are acknowledging the work not only of Pat Arato who founded the original Aphasia Centre, but also the phenomenal contribution made by Aura Kagan and the staff and volunteers at the Aphasia Institute in Toronto.

Additional information

The Aphasia Institute is a community-based centre of excellence, pioneering programs and practices that help the 100,000 Canadians with Aphasia learn how to communicate in new ways so they can re-join life’s conversations. Through direct service, research, and education and training, the Aphasia Institute has built a reputation as a world leader in Aphasia care.

The Pat Arato Aphasia Centre offers a variety of programs, five days a week. Staff and trained volunteers work with clients from 20 to 80 years of age in a supportive environment.

Robin Tavistock had a brain haemorrhage in 1988 that left him with Aphasia. Robin founded The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia to ensure that more people could have access to the quality of treatment he received.

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia is the only grant-making trust in the United Kingdom that focuses solely on Aphasia.

Aphasia is a communication disability usually caused by stroke, the leading cause of disability in the United Kingdom.

Aphasia: Over 130,000 people in Great Britain have a stroke each year. One-third of those who survived will have Aphasia. There are currently about 250,000 people with Aphasia in the United Kingdom alone.

The Trustees of the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia are very grateful to the organising committee of the British Aphasiology Society Biennial International Conference 2011, held at University of Reading for allowing the presentation to take place at their conference.

For further information, please visit:

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia: www.aphasiatavistocktrust.org

Or contact:

Aphasia Institute - The Pat Arato Aphasia Centre, 73 Scarsdale Road, Toronto, ON M3B 2R2

T: +1 416.226.3636
F: +1 416.226.3706
E: [email protected]

Or

The Administrator, The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia

T: +44 1525 290002
E: [email protected]