Speech Therapy

What Conditions Does Speech Therapy Treat?

Speech Therapy can help people struggling with the following disorders:

• Aphasia: difficulty reading, writing, speaking, and understanding language. This condition often develops after a stroke or brain injury.  

• Apraxia: having trouble articulating words but knowing what you want to say. Those with this condition may also struggle with reading, writing, swallowing, and other motor skills.  

• Articulation disorder: unable to produce certain word sounds.  

• Cognitive-communication disorders: difficulties communicating, listening, speaking, and memory because the area of your brain responsible for the ability to think is damaged. 

• Dysarthria: slow or slurred speech. This occurs when the muscles used to speak become weak from stroke, MS, ALS, or other nervous system disorders.  

• Dysphagia: difficulty swallowing. Often caused by neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and tumors.  

• Expressive disorders: may have difficulty getting their thoughts out in words. Typically linked to stroke, neurological events, and/or hearing loss.  

• Resonance disorders: a health condition that affects your oral and nasal cavities. These block airways, altering vibrations against your eardrum and changing the way you hear sounds.

How Does Speech Therapy Benefit Senior Residents?

Speech Therapy comes with many benefits, especially for seniors. Treatment can improve a resident's view on themselves such as improved confidence and self-esteem. This in turn promotes social interaction, leading to better emotional well-being as it reduces feelings of isolation. 

Consider speech therapy for yourself or your loved one if any of the following are happening: 

• Speech is suddenly difficult to understand 

• There is frustration or avoidance with speaking 

• Understanding questions or directions becomes difficult 

• Social communication is a struggle 

• Communication changes after serious injury or illness 

What Should I Expect During Treatment?

To get started, a speech-language pathologist will complete a comprehensive evaluation and develop a strategic rehabilitative plan. By looking at strengths and challenges, a plan can be made to help rebuild and improve communication skill sets. Throughout treatment, residents will have a clear goal, targeted exercises, and guidance from their speech-language pathologist. The plan may include dietary adjustment, exercises to strengthen muscles, swallowing maneuvers, and technique training. Adjustments to the treatment plan are common as muscles get stronger, and progress is made. 

While treatment plans are individual and vary person to person, here are some common exercises used: 

• Tongue and mouth exercises to build strength in those areas. This exercise will help train the tongue to move in coordinated patterns.  

• Controlling facial expressions to improve motor skills.  

• Reading out loud to strengthen the neurological connection from the brain to the mouth. 

• Swallowing safety techniques such as specific postural positions and swallowing practices to reduce risk of aspiration.