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Rosemary Townsend
Name:
Rosemary Townsend
Job Title:
Clinical Lead – PPA service
Place of work / study:
Dyscover Ltd , Aphasia Support Charity in Leatherhead Surrey
Area of Research:
I’ve worked as a SLT for nearly 40 years now and my interest in aphasia began early – I’ve treated people in hospitals, rehab centres, at home and as members of a community aphasia charity called Dyscover which I led for 13 years. 10 years ago I initiated a service for people with primary progressive aphasia at Dyscover and developing and growing this unique service is now my focus. My special interest is in working with couples and groups, enabling and maintaining everyday communication and social participation. Both I and my clients benefit from the wonderful collaborative community of SLTs working in PPA and I regularly contribute to research and education.
How is your work funded:
Both my clinical work at Dyscover and any research participation are funded mostly by small awards from grant making trusts which have a focus on aphasia /dementia
Tell us a little about yourself:
I’ve already said that aphasia captured my imagination several decades ago… I have always been intrigued by the complexity of language and communication, and how it can be disrupted by brain injury or disease. I am also really interested in the impact of aphasia on conversation and social participation, identity and relationships. I am very much an advocate of the social model of aphasia rehabilitation, and get great satisfaction from working with partners and families to help them adjust and adapt their communication and behaviour, leading to better conversations. I am also a great matchmaker, introducing people with aphasia to others in small groups to reduce isolation and help build community. I curate several small groups for couples living with PPA and also separate groups for people who have a parent with the condition. Finally, a mission I share with other wonderful colleagues like Anna and Jackie is to get PPA more widely known, earlier diagnosed and better supported with SLT . I feel people living with the condition have the most compelling voices and so do all I can to put them front and centre in all the education and awareness raising that I do.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
At weekends I can often be found driving a tractor or looking after chickens – we live on a smallholding in Sussex.
Why did you choose to work in dementia:
People with progressive aphasia were occasionally referred to Dyscover – they stood out as having different needs from those whose aphasia was caused by stroke and this started me on a mission to learn more and devise a service to meet these needs
What single piece of of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
Partner up and collaborate – learn from those who are more experienced
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
ACT for Beginners – yes! I think the principles of ACT have great relevance to my work with people who have PPA
Favourite film of all time?
The Lunchbox
Favourite ways to unplug and unwind?
Painting and running
