A lovely write up about our bonnie Dundee aphasia conference earlier this year.

#BASConf2025

www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

@basaphasia.bsky.social
@citystgeorgeslcs.bsky.social @citystgeorges.bsky.social
@stephwilsoncity.bsky.social
@niamhdevane.bsky.social
@rtslt.bsky.social

What a grand day at the #RCSLT Scotland day. Delighted to be a part of this inspiring profession.  @sarahheatley.bsky.social & I shared the work we've been doing with collaborators in Dundee to create a communication accessible city.
Hooray for the excellent NHS Tayside adult acquired SLT service.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Written & performed by Scots Scriever, Taylor Dyson,
for #BASconf25

Life wis different then, things taken fur grantit
Haud it a up in a hazy gold shimmered nostalgia
When the reality is iy a crashin white cauld
Memories are fragmentit noo
And time moves at a different pace,

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That’s a wrap on #BASConf25 in Sunny Dundee! 😎

Dundee delivered, the research was empowering and I contributed by providing a constant subplot of “is this mic actually on?” throughout #BASconf25. 🎤

Thrilled to bring suspense theatre to an academic stage… 🎭 😂

Day 2 summary:
🗣️ Brilliant talks
⛴️ A tour of the RSS Discovery where we discovered we’d last about 6 mins on an Antarctic voyage & would immediately ask for Wi-Fi
💃🏼Ceilidh afterwards, proving that SLTs are surprisingly good at high-speed twirling when someone shouts “Strip the Willow”

#BASconf25

Evening update from Dundee: the drinks reception briefly rebranded us as the SAS conference… which definitely raised expectations for a covert mission 🤣

Mission accomplished though — great chats, great company and zero hostage situations. See you tomorrow for more #BASconf25 action 🍷😎

Dundee is looking glorious in the sunshine today. I've been out and about asking the locals if they are ready for next week's @basaphasia.bsky.social conference.

Desparate Dan is ready.
Oor Wullie is ready.
The Dundee Penguins are ready.
Rabbie Burns is ready.

#BASconf25. Are you ready?

Hello from Dundee! 🌟 Kicking off #BASconf25 where I live & work — coffee in hand, notebook ready, and ready to show off Tay views, local charm, and our fearless seagulls 🐦. Excited for talks, panels, and a few conference quirks along the way. Let’s do this! @abracabadger.com

☀️Greetings from Dundee! #BASconf25 is officially live, and we’re excited to bring you highlights from fascinating sessions, brilliant speakers, and a city that knows how to host with style. Conference energy+Tay views=unbeatable. Stay with us for live updates, insights, & Dundee’s finest seagulls! 😎

👥Who am I at your bedside?

On the stroke ward, we talk a lot about identity.
We create identity profiles for people with aphasia— a way to anchor therapy in what matters most to them:

🍝 The food they make
👶 Their role as a parent or partner
😆 Their sense of humour
🗣️ Their values

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👥 Connection matters 👥

Loneliness doesn’t show up on a CT scan but its impact on stroke risk and recovery is real.

We often measure what we can count: blood pressure, cholesterol, lesion size.
But what about connection?

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🎯 “Watch this… 180!”

That’s what a man with severe post-stroke aphasia said to me…completely unprompted.

He can’t yet hold a conversation.
But he loves the darts.
So we watched the world championship highlights together.

We joined in with the crowd chant….
“♪ da-da-da-da-da-da-da… OI OI OI!”

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🧠 It’s one thing to lose your words. It’s another to lose them in a system that doesn’t speak yours.

This week I worked with 3 Polish-speaking stroke patients—none of whom speak English.

Each reminded me how tightly language, culture, and identity are woven together.