Christmas Café 2015 This year, our Christmas party took place on December 19, 2015, for the first time at the Kiezspinne in Berlin-Lichtenberg. The hall and stage were festively decorated. Coffee, homemade cakes from the Kiezspinne kitchen, along with a fruit platter and sweets were available for the reception. The turnout from our members and guests was so good that additional tables and chairs had to be provided. As a souvenir, our members received a tote bag printed with the ALB (Association of German Aphasia Association) and an annual calendar featuring artwork by people affected by aphasia. As in the previous year, the musical trio "3satt" provided the atmospheric opening with tangos from Eastern European countries, some of which were reminiscent of Kleßmer music. A very spirited opening that met with enthusiastic approval and called for a da capo. The cheeky and frivolous performance by the young artist Inka Arlt continued, prompting many chuckles. The performance by the Aphasic Choir, under the direction of Wolfgang Böhmer, concluded the day and encouraged many aphasics to join in. A beautiful end to 2015 and a joyous anticipation of the celebration in 2016. Christa Carl

Project report on the 2nd Berlin Aphasia Day of the Aphasie LV Berlin eV (ALB) on Sunday, September 19, 2015. The venue for the event was the Berliner Stadtmission Diakonie eV "Tage in Berlin" at Lehrter Straße 68, very close to Berlin Central Station. Under the motto: Aphasia & Computers "Possible uses of modern technology in communication and therapy," over 100 disabled and non-disabled people, i.e. people with aphasia, their families and therapists, as well as invited guests, met. They all wanted to find out more about the current forms of therapy available for people with aphasia using the latest computer technology. Furthermore, advice and support were offered to people with aphasia and their families in using their own PCs, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. The first performance on the program was the Aphasiker Chor Berlin. The speakers are exclusively people with aphasia, some of whom belong to the Aphasia State Association Berlin e.V. and some to the speech therapy training department of the Charité Health Academy. The songs performed, culminating in a canon sung together with the audience and rehearsed with the new choir director, Mr. Böhmer, were truly impressive and received long applause. Under the title "Nobody Must Remain Speechless," Professor Dr. Andrea Erdélyi gave a very interesting talk on the latest technical possibilities for supporting communication with people with aphasia. The talk by Dr. Robert Darkow from the Charité also covered this topic. The talk focused on previous successes in therapy through brain stimulation using computer-assisted medical devices. After lunch, each participant was able to choose their own therapist or assistant according to their interests and needs. Active help and advice were provided exclusively by renowned and experienced specialists in aphasia therapy. They were happy to answer most of the personal questions from people with aphasia and their families about technical and content-related problems during therapy and in using their own devices. The following people were available to answer questions: - Dr. Robert Darkow, Charité - Jens-Uwe Rumstich, AppNotize LetMeTalk - Juliane Graf-Wegner, Speech Scientist/Speech Therapist - Heinrich Mundt, Clinical Linguist/Speech Therapist - Nadin Hausmann (M.Sc.) Patholinguistics, ZAPP Berlin - Wiebke Bruchmüller (M.Sc.) Patholinguistics, ZAPP Berlin - Anna Klein, Special Education Teacher, RehaVista - Sabine Schaaf, Social Worker, RehaVista Anna Lancelle, a psychologist and speech therapist with many years of experience, ran a very helpful discussion group especially for interested families of people with aphasia. Families are also affected, and for them, dealing with their aphasic relatives is often very difficult. In the afternoon, many participants met to exchange experiences over coffee and cake. All in all, it was a successful event, which received praise from many participants. Margaret Voigt, Berlin, October 26, 2015

Report on the trip of the aphasics and relatives to Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven from August 27th to August 31st, 2015. On Thursday, August 27th, 2015, 25 participants, six of whom were in wheelchairs, met at 9:30 a.m. in front of the travel agency of the Fürst-Donnersmarck-Stiftung in Blissestrasse in Berlin. A large, accessible coach from Uhlenköper-Reisen from Uelzen, with driver and historian Mr. Andreas Chevallerie and our tour guide Ms. Christine Busch, welcomed us there. After several breaks during the journey, we arrived in the evening at the Hotel "Dünenhof" in Cuxhaven, where we were already awaited for dinner. The Hotel "Dünenhof" is completely accessible and, in addition to a swimming pool, offers many other activities for both disabled and non-disabled people. On Friday, after a hearty breakfast, Ms. Christine Burbulla, a speech therapist, welcomed us at the hotel with a lecture on "Speech Impairments After a Stroke." She informed us about a highly effective form of therapy, interval therapy. This intensive therapy, which includes both speech training and occupational therapy, is carried out at regular intervals following a prescription from the attending physician. After this lecture, we traveled in our coach, which was available to us throughout the entire trip, to the Maritime Museum in Cuxhaven, the "Windstärke 10" Wreck and Fishing Museum. There, we had arranged to meet nine members of the aphasia support group from Bremerhaven. The group leader, Mr. Erich Bernard, was already waiting for us. Together, we enjoyed an exciting museum visit led by two women. The bottom of the North Sea is a vast ship graveyard. No one knows how many ships have sunk here over the centuries. It is likely thousands. The wrecks cannot be raised. Despite an extensive system of rescue facilities, the North Sea remains dangerous even today. Deep-sea fishing in the North Sea was and is an extreme profession – full of hardship and risk. A shared exchange of experiences between the two aphasia groups in a restaurant over coffee and cake concluded this wonderful afternoon. After saying goodbye, both groups returned to their homes. After dinner, we rounded off the day with a bowling evening, also suitable for wheelchair users. On Saturday, after breakfast, we drove to Bremerhaven to visit the German Emigration Center. This museum attempts to retrace approximately 150 years of emigration from and immigration to Germany. It reconstructs the family histories of "refugees" who sought and often found their fortunes abroad, primarily in the "New World" of North America, but also in Argentina, Australia, and Brazil, by ship from Bremerhaven. This almost always involved the search for jobs as a means of support for the family. Between 1830 and 1974, more than seven million people emigrated via Bremerhaven. This museum was recognized as Europe's best museum in 2007 for its faithfully reconstructed rooms and innovative exhibition concept. This award underscores the museum's importance as an exceptional institution for exploring German migration history while simultaneously addressing highly topical refugee policy. In the afternoon, we visited the Zoo am Meer in Bremerhaven, with many animals that also live in the wild in the northern seas. On Sunday morning, our bus took us to the "Alte Liebe" in Cuxhaven. This is a two-story wooden observation deck. Boats depart from there for the islands of Neuwerk and Heligoland. There, we boarded the excursion boat "Störtebeker," adorned with the traditional skull and crossbones flag. But of course, it wasn't that dangerous. Our trip took us, depending on the tide, along the mouth of the Elbe into the North Sea to the sandbanks where seals can be seen in the wild. Afterwards, the "Störtebeker" drove us through the harbor area of Cuxhaven. We learned a lot of interesting and valuable information via microphone. At noon, our bus drove to the beach. It was high tide, so we had the opportunity to swim in the North Sea or sunbathe on the sandy beach and admire the sea. After enjoying coffee and cake, we continued our tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea Visitor Center, as per our itinerary. The Wadden Sea has been designated a World Heritage Site since 2009. It covers the North Sea coasts of Germany, the Netherlands, and part of Denmark, and covers a total area of almost 10,000 square kilometers. It serves to protect wildlife, especially native species, and promote nature-friendly tourism. Lugworms, mussels, crabs, and other creatures can be found there. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel. We enjoyed pleasant summer weather throughout our stay in Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven. On Monday, we took the bus back to Berlin. This marked the end of an unforgettable trip. Thanks to all participants who tirelessly pushed the wheelchair users. Margaret Voigt