Aphasia impacts more than the ability to communicate. It can affect a person’s mental health. Our September Ask the Expert, Rebecca Hunting Pompon, PhD, spoke about stress, depression, resilience, aphasia on September 14, 2023 at 7 pm ET. (Scroll down the landing page to watch the recording of the webinar.) She introduced one important step you can take this fall to pay attention to your overall health:

The Audrey Holland Wellness Challenge

Want to participate? Keep reading, and enter your ideas below so we can share them with the community.

Who Was Audrey Holland?

Audrey Holland was a pioneer in the field of aphasia. At a time when everyone was focused on a medical model, Audrey dared to ask, “Why aren’t we taking care of the whole person?”

We honor her community contribution by establishing the Audrey Holland Wellness Challenge.

How Do You Participate?

Participation is simple. This fall, commit to starting one healthy habit that contributes to your overall well-being. You can commit to taking a walk, getting together with a friend, trying a yoga class, playing with a pet, or volunteering. Any small act that you can do that makes you feel better afterward — the possibilities are endless and all actions count.

If you need an idea, we will collect people’s actions for the Audrey Holland Wellness Challenge and post them on our website and newsletter. You can also read what other people are doing and try these actions. Enter your actions in the form below.

When Does the Challenge Begin?

The Audrey Holland Wellness Challenge runs from September 15, 2023, to November 15, 2023.

Who Can Participate?

Everyone! We will focus on people with aphasia from September 15, 2023, to November 1, 2023. And we are kicking off November, which is National Family Caregivers Month, with ideas for caregivers/care partners. Join other people with aphasia to do the challenge as a group or individually. We encourage everyone to take one small step towards wellness to honor Audrey’s memory.

Audrey Holland was a pioneer in a holistic approach to living with aphasia. She made it clear that treating aphasia is not about “fixing” the aphasia (which, in turn, means fixing the person). Living fully with aphasia means leading a life with self-respect, strong personal relationships, and focusing on the positive.

Commit to doing something positive for the next two months that lifts your spirits. You may build a life-long habit that will help your overall well-being for many years.