Goals and Goal Setting for People with Aphasia, Their Family Members and Clinicians

According to Playford, Siegert, Levack, and Freeman (2009), professionals understand goal setting to be a ‘process of discussion and negotiation in which the individual and staff determine the key priorities for rehabilitation for that individual’ (p. 335). Most terms used to describe goal setting and patient-centredness (e.g. participation, involvement, agreement, interaction, collaboration, partnership, negotiation, sharing) incorporate the concept of at least two parties participating in a discussion about goals. However, for people with aphasia, participation may, at best, be challenging and, at worst, be virtually impossible. In many cases, there are likely to be three parties involved rather than two, because families may need to take a more prominent role in the process.