About Aphasica

Aphasica is an app designed in Quebec by Olivier Cendré, so that a person with aphasia can say what matters, right away, without reading or writing.

A word from the founder

My father, Michel, has lived with aphasia for more than 25 years, following an accident. I have always looked for a way to help him. Aphasica grew out of that: helping him express what he can no longer say, what he likes and what he likes less, and be understood by people who don’t know about aphasia. I also added games and exercises to support him every day, with his motor skills and with the daily challenges of aphasia.

Family support is essential: a person with aphasia needs to feel surrounded. Aphasica also comes to life through loved ones. By adding photos, memories, tastes and life stories, the family helps the person share who they are with people who know them little or not at all.

— Olivier Cendré

Why Aphasica

Aphasia affects speech, not intelligence. After a stroke, an illness or an accident, many people understand everything they hear, but can no longer find their words. Saying “I’m in pain”, “I’m thirsty” or “call my daughter” becomes an effort, sometimes impossible.

Existing communication tools are often expensive, hard to set up, or designed for children. Aphasica starts from an adult’s needs: pain, the bathroom, hunger, family, medications, appointments. One touch, and the tablet says it out loud, as a full sentence.

Our principles

• Big and simple. Large squares, one color per kind of need, and the Help me, Yes, No bar always in the same place.
• Made for adults. Everyday sentences, with the family’s first names.
• Free for the essentials. Basic needs and emergencies stay free, with no ads.
• Your information stays with you. No account, no server: everything stays on the tablet.
• Loved ones at the center. The family sets up the tablet, and the person keeps their voice.

Our commitment

Aphasica wants to give back to those who support people with aphasia. 10% of net revenue from Aphasica+ subscriptions will go to organizations that help people with aphasia and their families, country by country: what is earned in a country stays in that country. Partner organizations will be announced here soon, along with a yearly report of the amounts given.

Who is behind it

Aphasica is designed and developed independently by Olivier Cendré, in Quebec. The app is tried out with a person with aphasia on their own tablet, and every new version goes through hundreds of automated tests, in English and in French.

Aphasica comes in English for the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, and in French for France and Quebec, with each country’s words, emergency numbers and resources.

What Aphasica is not

Aphasica is a communication and stimulation aid. It is not a medical device, and it does not replace the speech therapist or the care team. It helps them understand the person better.

Contact us

Are you a person with aphasia, a family member, a speech therapist or a caregiver? Your ideas move Aphasica forward: contact@aphasica.com.