Delivering Group Support for People With Aphasia Through Eva Park

The project will investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a remote support group intervention for people with aphasia, and will investigate the impact of that intervention on measures of wellbeing, quality of life and communication. The intervention will be delivered to 32 participants in Eva Park, a virtual island specifically designed for people with aphasia.

Participants allocated to the immediate arm will receive 6 months of Social support groups delivered in EVA Park immediately after randomisation. They will be re-assessed in Month 7, then receive 6 months of usual care, followed by reassessment in month 14.

Participants allocated to the wait list control arm will receive 6 months of usual care after randomisation. They will be re-assessed in month 7, and will then receive 6 months of social support groups delivered in EVA Park, with reassessment in month 14.

Intervention will comprise support group meetings delivered in EVA Park, a virtual island created for people with aphasia. Scheduled meetings will be held every two weeks, led by the group co-ordinator and volunteers. Participants will have unlimited access to EVA Park, so will be able to meet up with other group members between meetings.

Pre to post intervention change on the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life measure (SAQOL-39) (Hilari et al, 2003)

A self reporting questionnaire about health related quality of life designed for people with stroke and aphasia

The number of participants referred to the project and the proportion who consent; the number of individuals lost to follow up

Interviews conducted up to 4 weeks post intervention (Month 7 for immediate arm; month 14 for waitlist control arm)

Responses to in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with all coordinators and 8 purposefully selected volunteers

Structured observations and interviews conducted with 8 randomly selected participants from each arm, aiming to determine the suitability of EVA Park for delivering support group meetings

Conducted in the first and last week of intervention; Months 1 and 6 for the immediate arm; Months 8 and 13 for the waitlist control arm.

throughout intervention periods; Months 1 - 6 for the immediate arm; Months 8 - 13 for the waitlist control arm

Logs of all costs associated with the intervention, relating to: Human Resources, Technical costs, Materials, Capital costs and Travel

Throughout intervention periods; Months 1 - 6 for the immediate arm; Months 8 - 13 for the waitlist control arm.

Inclusion Criteria: Stroke survivor with aphasia; Score within the aphasic range on the Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test (FAST); Fluent pre-stroke user of English. Exclusion Criteria: Co-morbidity affecting cognition; Severe hearing or visual impairments

Marshall J, Devane N, Talbot R, Caute A, Cruice M, Hilari K, MacKenzie G, Maguire K, Patel A, Roper A, Wilson S. A randomised trial of social support group intervention for people with aphasia: A Novel application of virtual reality. PLoS One. 2020 Sep 24;15(9):e0239715. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239715. eCollection 2020.