Strokes are very common in seniors. The amount of damage that occurs from a stroke depends on many factors like the severity of the stroke, how quickly the senior was able to get medical help, and what kind of care was available to them. Often seniors who have a stroke experience some type of speech impediment or inability to speak. Speech therapy is a great way to help them recover.
Speech Therapy
The inability to speak words well, or at all, can be due to paralysis of the facial muscles that prohibits the senior from forming words with their mouth or from damage to the vocal chords or throat. Seniors also may be unable to speak due to brain damage caused by the stroke which prevents them from understanding the connection between words and objects or not understanding how to physically speak.
The type of therapy seniors need to recover as much of their speech skill as they can depends on the cause of their loss of speech and their prognosis for recovery. Speech therapy can be very beneficial for seniors after a stroke and can greatly improve the chances that seniors will recover their ability to speak.
Speech therapy can be done at a provider’s office or in a senior’s home. If your senior loved one is unable to get to the speech therapist’s office due to a medical condition or injuries from the stroke, they may be able to get speech therapy at home. The speech therapy sessions may be intense for them at first but with regular practice they should be able to communicate through speech again.
Speech Therapy Exercises
The speech therapist will most likely give your senior parent a set of exercise to do that will help them relearn how to form words and speak them. At first their speech may sound strange or funny to you but you need to not reveal that to your senior parent. It’s important that your senior loved one stay determined to relearn how to speak or improve their speech.
You can help your senior parent with their speech therapy by going through the list of exercises that the speech therapist gives them. There may be physical stretches or movements that they need to do in order to strengthen the muscles necessary to talk. And you may need to go through the exercises with them several times each day while they are in active speech therapy.
Senior Care
If your senior loved one has a home care, their provider can also do the speech therapy exercises with them. The more often they do the exercises the more progress they will make so you and their home care provider should be encouraging them to practice their exercises as much as possible.
You can call a local home care agency to get information on local speech therapists and recommendation for speech therapists that specialize in working with seniors. If possible look for a speech therapist that knows how to work with seniors after a stork so that seniors will be more comfortable with them.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Speech Therapy in Woodbridge, VA please contact the caring staff at Passion Home Health Solutions LLC today at. 703-462-9141
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