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To ensure the ongoing sustainability of the SCV program, more explicit criteria around the availability and commitment of volunteers may be required. The training requirements may also need to be modified. For example, many speech pathology students now undertake communication partner training as part of their university course and therefore such an extensive onsite training program may not be needed for these volunteers. Given that many speech pathology students are now receiving training in supported conversations and those students who volunteer describe it as a very positive and beneficial experience, it may be that providing opportunities to have social conversations with hospital inpatients with acquired communication disorders may provide a valuable introductory student placement. The availability of a larger pool of highly skilled supportive communication partners would also enable the SCV program to be rolled out into the other areas of the St Vincent’s health service network to include people in residential aged care settings and those attending community rehabilitation services. A pool of highly skilled bilingual supportive communication partners would also provide the opportunity to offer this program to inpatients with communication disorders who speak languages other than English. Finally, formal evaluation of the program is required to investigate the reported outcomes for patients, clinicians, and volunteers. Conclusion Many inpatients with communication disorders do not get the opportunity to engage in social conversation. The SCV program provides volunteers with supported conversation training so that they can provide patients with the opportunity to have supported, enjoyable conversations. The speech pathologists, volunteers, and patients have all reported that the SCV program provides many benefits. Further evaluation of the program is required to understand the benefits of this program more fully. Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the St Vincent’s Hospital Speech Pathology Department for their support and contribution to the program over the past four years, in particular, Bernadette Price for her contribution to the early development and establishment of the program and Marinda Brooks for her contribution to the extension and evaluation of the program. We would also like to thank the volunteer managers at St Vincent’s Hospital and St George’s Health Service for their valued support of the program. Finally, we would like to thank all the SCV volunteers for volunteering their time and making a difference to patients with acquired communication disabilities at St Vincent’s. References Brown, K., Worrall, L. E., Davidson, B., & Howe, T. (2012). Living successfully with aphasia: A qualitative meta-analysis of the perspectives of individuals with aphasia, family members, and speech-language pathologists. International Journal of Speech Language Pathology , 14 (2), 141–155. doi: 10.3109/17549507.2011.632026 Carling-Rowland, A., Black, S., McDonald, L., & Kagan, A. (2014). Increasing access to fair capacity evaluation for discharge decision-making for people with aphasia: A randomised controlled trial. Aphasiology , 28 (6), 750–765. doi: 10.1080/02687038.2014.895975 Hemsley, B., Werninck, M., & Worrall, L. (2013). “That really shouldn’t have happened”: People with aphasia and their spouses narrate adverse events in hospital. Aphasiology , 27 (6), 706-722. doi: 10.1080/02687038.2012.748181

Kathryn McKinley is the speech pathology manager at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne. Renee Heard is a speech pathologist working in inpatient rehabilitation at St Vincent’s Hospital. Julia Shulsinger is a speech pathologist working in inpatient rehabilitation at St George’s Health Service in the Melbourne suburb of Kew. Sally Brinkmann is the speech pathology and audiology manager at Western Hospital in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. Robyn O’Halloran is a senior speech pathologist at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, and lecturer in human communication sciences at La Trobe University. Content and design characteristics. International Journal of Speech Language Pathology , 13 (4), 335–347. doi: 10.3109/17549507.2011.560396 Shadden, B. (2005). Aphasia as identity theft: Theory and practice. Aphasiology , 19 (3), 211–223. doi: 10.1080/02687930444000697 Simmons-Mackie, N., Raymer, A., Armstrong, E., Holland, A., & Cherney, L. (2010). Communication partner training in aphasia: A systematic review. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , 91 , 1814–1837. Hersh, D., Godecke, E., Armstrong, E., Ciccone, N., & Bernhardt, J. (2014). “Ward talk”: Nurses’ interaction with people with and without aphasia in the very early period poststroke. Aphasiology , 1–20. doi: 10.1080/02687038.2014.933520 Kagan, A., Black, S., Duchan, J., Simmons-Mackie, N., & Square, P. (2001). Training volunteers as conversation partners using “supported conversation with adults with aphasia” (SCA): A controlled trial. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research , 44 , 624–638. Kagan, A., & Gailey, G. (1993). Functional is not enough: Training conversation partners for aphasic adults. In A. Holland & M. Forbes (Eds.), Aphasia treatment: World perspectives (pp. 199–225). San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing Group Inc. McVicker, S., Parr, S., Pound, C., & Duchan, J. (2009). The Communication Partner Scheme: A project to develop long-term, low-cost access to conversation for people living with aphasia. Aphasiology , 23 (1), 52–71. doi: 10.1080/02687030701688783 National Stroke Foundation. (2010). Clinical guidelines for stroke management 2010 . Melbourne: Author. O’Halloran, R., Worrall, L., & Hickson, L. (2009). The number of patients with communication related impairments in acute hospital stroke units. International Journal of Speech Language Pathology , 11 (6), 438–449. doi: 10.3109/17549500902741363 O’Halloran, R., Worrall, L., & Hickson, L. (2012). Stroke patients communicating their healthcare needs in hospital: A study within the ICF framework. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders , 47 (2), 130–143. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-6984.2011.00077.x Parr, S., & Byng, S. (1998). Breaking new ground on familiar territory: A comment on “Supported conversations for adults with aphasia” by Aura Kagan. Aphasiology , 12 (9), 847–850. Parr, S., Wimborne, N., Hewitt, A., & Pound, C. (2008). The communication access toolkit . London: Connect Press. Rose, T., Worrall, L., Hickson, L., & Hoffmann, T. (2011). Aphasia friendly written health information:

Correspondence to: Kathryn McKinley Speech Pathology Manager St Vincent’s Hospital 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy Vic 3065 phone: +613 9231 3846 email: kathryn.mckinley@svha.org.au

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www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au