EmotionaL and Language Recovery in Aphasia (ELLA)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
EmotionaL and Language recovery in Aphasia (ELLA): a feasibility study developing a novel intervention for people living with post-stroke aphasia
IRAS ID
334237
Contact name
Sarah Northcott
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Noclor on behalf of East London NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 22 days
Research summary
Research Aims
Following a stroke, around 25% of people will have aphasia. This is a language disability that affects speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. We want to test a new therapy for people living with aphasia that targets language recovery, confidence, and emotional wellbeing. We have had excellent results in our university clinic. Now we want to see if it will work well in NHS settings, and what kind of support and training is necessary to deliver it.
Background to the research
Loss of language can be devastating: aphasia has been described as ‘identity theft’, and it is common that people with aphasia become depressed, anxious and isolated. We have developed a new therapy for language recovery and emotional wellbeing which we trialled in our university clinic. We found that people improved in how confident they felt talking in different situations and made significant progress with their own personal goals (e.g., feeling at peace, ordering in a cafe).
Design and methods
Phase One: we will develop training packages, including online resources and support.
Phase Two: we will recruit 42 people with aphasia: half of them will receive the new therapy; half of them will receive standard care. The therapy is around 20 hours of therapy sessions spaced across 7 to 12 weeks, with some sessions delivered by experienced Speech and Language Therapists, and some by students or rehabilitation assistants who will be given careful support.
We will interview people with aphasia, family members and therapists about their experiences. We will also assess participants’ confidence communicating, language, quality of life and emotional wellbeing. We will assess everyone when they start in the study, and then 3 and 6 months later.REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
25/WA/0236
Date of REC Opinion
24 Sep 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion