Every year about 30000 people have a stroke. It is caused by either a bleeding or a blood clot, and depending on where the damage is, the patient can get different types of difficulties following after the stroke. About 40 % of all stroke patients sufferfrom some kind of speech and/or communication difficulty, like aphasia or dysarthria. As hospital staff it´s important to know how to communicate with these people, to get a deeper understanding regards their needs.

Aim:

The aim of this study is to out of a patient's perspectivedescribeexperiences ofcommunication difficulties that can follow after a stroke.

Method:

A content analysis with a qualitative approach was used to analyse five autobiographies.

Results:

The result showed in what way stroke patients experienced their communication difficulties, and how they felt about the hospital staffs treatment related to their communication difficulties. During the analysis two major themes emerged: suffering and wellbeing. Also eight subthemes emerged:encounters with hospital staff with a bad appearance,to be locked in, frustration, to lose identity, sorrow, chock, encounters with hospital staff with a good appearance andgratefulness.

Conclusion:

As hospital staff it's important to know how to communicatewith stroke patients suffering from communication difficulties, to be able to give them good care. It's necessary to be aware of these patients own experiences according to the communication difficulty, to know how to communicate with them properly.