Profiling the membership of self-help groups for aphasic people

We surveyed the membership of aphasia self-help groups in England. We wante d to knew what kinds of people become members and the factors associated wi th taking an active role. So we aimed to describe the membership in terms o f age, aphasia severity, physical state, socio-economic status and group ro les. We collected data on 135 members and found them relatively less severe but mainly chronically aphasic, living in their own homes and close to the group meeting place, using their own or public transport, with little comm unity or state aid. While hemiplegia was common, few were wheelchair bound. Those taking active roles were younger and less severely aphasic and from more professional and managerial socio-economic groups.