Starting an Aphasia Center?

ABSTRACT

Starting an aphasia center can be an enormous challenge. This article provides initial issues to review and consider when deciding whether starting a new organization is right for you. Determining the need for the program in your community, the best size and possible affiliation for the organization, and available resources, as well as developing a business plan, marketing the program, and building awareness in the community, are some of the factors that are discussed. Specific examples related to starting the Aphasia Center of California are provided.

KEYWORDS

Aphasia - aphasia treatment - aphasia center - life participation

REFERENCES

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1 The careful reader will note discrepancies between these statistics and those reported in Simmons-Mackie and Holland (this issue). There are many reasons for this, including the fact that centers that report themselves as not-for-profit may derive that status from larger institutions (e.g., hospitals or universities ) in which they are housed. Another possible source of discrepancy between the actual numbers of groups and centers may result from different polling strategies used by the National Aphasia Association (NAA) and the Simmons-Mackie and Holland reports.