How Does Stroke Affect Speech
Speech is not a simple process when it comes to brain functions. A person has to think about what they want to say. Then those thoughts must be translated into words. Then the brain must command the mouth and throat to form those words and transmit sound.
Understanding what someone is saying is just as complicated. The brain must capture the sound waves that the ears capture. Then the brain must translate those sound waves into words the brain can understand. Then the brain must comprehend what those words mean.
Now, how does stroke interfere with these processes?
Most strokes affect only one side of the brain. When it comes to physical motion, each side of the brain controls what is happening on the other side. That means the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body. However, each side of the brain has additional functions besides controlling motion.
The left side of the brain is normally tasked with controlling speech and understanding language. So, if a stroke affects the left side of the brain, it is possible for it to affect that person’s ability to speak or to understand what is being said. This is part of a condition known as aphasia.
What Speech Recovery Exercises Can A Stroke Patient Do At Home
If you or a loved one is struggling with speech and cognitive skills, then working with a speech-language pathologist is the best resource for improving these skills.
If you have significant challenges that make speech difficult to understand, some of these strategies may help with recovery and communication more effectively:
Speak Slowly Practicing speaking slowly and with control can help listeners to understand the speech better and allow them more time to process and understand what is being said.
Start Small Begin by introducing the topic you will be speaking about with a word or short phrase.
Take Time to Gauge Understanding Ask the listener or person you are conversing with whether they are able to understand you.
Protect your Energy If you are feeling very tired, keep your interactions brief. Fatigue can increase frustration and make your speech even more difficult to understand.
Use Other Communication Tools Writing messages can be a great alternative if speech is challenging. Typing messages on a computer, tablet or smartphone can also be a good option.
Use Shortcuts Create flashcards or drawings that you can use during conversations or communicate a particular need or desire. Using gestures or pointing to an object can also be an effective strategy.
How Memory Is Affected By A Stroke
A common symptom experienced after a stroke is memory loss. You may have difficulty remembering certain words, recent events, or even concepts .
Strokes that affect the areas of the brain that control memory and language may make it difficult to remember events that occurred just before or after your stroke. You may also have difficulty recalling memories from long ago.
One of the most critical things you can do for your memory is to keep it engaged. The more you exercise and engage your brain, the better your memory will work properly following a stroke.
Do an activity that requires problem-solving, such as crossword puzzles, brain games, computer games, or reading books with unfamiliar words. It’s important not to simply “zone out” when you’re trying to remember something.
If you or a loved one are having memory problems, try talking to your physician or neurologist about the best ways to improve this symptom.
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Overcoming Speech Problems After Stroke
Speech problems after stroke are often diagnosed as aphasia or, less commonly, apraxia of speech. These conditions are common in left hemisphere stroke patients.
Its best to work with a trained Speech-Language Pathologist for a diagnosis. They can create an individualized exercise plan and even help you use speech therapy apps with success.
To achieve your highest recovery, its important to be consistent. The more you practice your exercises, the more your speech will improve. Good luck on the road to recovery ahead.
Stroke Recovery Speech And Communication Guide
For many stroke patients, recovery can be a long, challenging process. According to Natalie Rosen, MS, CF-SLP, people with no experience interacting with a stroke survivor may not understand that fact.
a stroke damages your brain, and it doesnt recover super-fast. Rosen said. However, being discharged from the hospital, or completing inpatient stroke rehabilitation, is only the beginning for stroke survivors who are re-entering the real world.
Stroke recovery is an ongoing process that includes working to regain skills and finding alternative ways to communicate and function when a full recovery cannot be attained, Rosen said.
Through specialized care from speech language pathologists and other health care professionals and the support of friends and family, stroke survivors can find the resources they need to live as independently as possible.
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As a senior physiotherapist in Genesis, i`m part of a team that works on the rehabilitation of our patients. We promote a multi-disciplinary approach to care and rehabilitation.
Types Of Aphasia In Stroke Patients
Different forms of aphasia mean that the patient has different difficulties concerning speech and language.
Brocas aphasia refers to difficulty getting out the right words or sentences longer than 4 words. Formation of words can be difficult, and the speech probably sounds slurred or garbled.
Wernickes aphasia patients can get the words out, but they have a hard time discerning the meaning of words. Theyll often say words in sentences that are irrelevant or that dont make sense.
There are many other aphasia classifications. The general idea with aphasia is that patients have difficulty forming words, saying words properly, and forming complete and grammatical sentences.
If your loved one isnt making continual progress, or if they dont feel comfortable practicing independently, its important to seek the support of a licensed speech pathologist.
Speech pathologists are trained professionals who can help your loved one communicate with confidence. The first step to connecting to one of our specialized virtual speech therapists is to book a free introductory phone call
Speech therapy can help with speech improvement after a stroke. These are 5 home exercises for stroke patients that can help.
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Speech Therapy For Patients Who Cannot Talk Yet
For stroke patients who have sustained major damage to the brain’s language center, it may take some time to be able to talk again. However, speech therapy can still be highly beneficial for stroke patients who cannot speak yet. Although the patient will not be able to participate in most traditional speech therapy exercises, there are alternative voice therapy options.
Surprisingly, patients who cannot talk are most often able to sing their words. This phenomenon is due to speech being a left-brain function while singing is a right-brain function. Because of this, singing therapy is a highly effective strategy for helping stroke patients regain their ability to speak conversationally.
Should You Work With A Speech
If you struggle with speech and cognitive skills, then youshould consider working with a speech-language pathologist .
An SLP is trained to help you recover speech afterneurological injury, and they work with all areas of speech recovery that welisted earlier.
Most people work with an SLP for as long as insurance will cover, and then move onto speech apps when insurance cuts them off.
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How Does Speech Therapy Help After A Stroke
It happens almost 700 times a day, and chances are you dont even think about it.
On average, you swallow once a minute when youre awake, and even more when youre eating.
Its easy to take swallowing for granted until youre unable to do it. Swallowing difficulties are quite common after a stroke. This is one example of when a speech therapist can help those who have had a stroke.
Speech therapists can help those who have had a stroke learn to effectively swallow again. At this point, youre probably wondering, where can I find outstanding speech therapy near me? For residents of Bladen County, that answer is as simple as two words: Bladen East.
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What Do You Recommend For Patients With Severely Impacted Speech Issues
Patients who have severely impacted speech may benefit from an augmentative communication device. Its a specialty device that has phrases loaded onto it. Its programmed specifically for the patient. You can use the patients own real voice to program those phrases, and it just helps them to be able to communicate their wants and needs, their feelings, and what their thoughts are.
When Should Stroke Patients Begin Speech Therapy
Its important that stroke survivors are assessed for communication difficulties as soon as possible to ensure that they can access the supports and therapy available quickly.
Studies have shown that its best to take advantage of the pivotal early neuro-recovery period post-stroke, especially for those experiencing Aphasia. Early Intervention with intensive therapy programs can provide great improvement in communication abilities and enhance the quality of life of the individual.
Personalised home programs can also be developed to support you in your recovery post-stroke. Research has shown that home programs specifically designed to support Speech Therapy goals work best when they incorporate technology, individualisation, and written directions. Pictures and videos of the home program, as well as simple checklists for people with aphasia or cognitive impairments, can also be beneficial for ensuring regular practice and improved results.
If you or someone you love are interested in Speech Therapy for Stroke Patients, and are specifically looking for support in Townsville, Mackay, or Brisbane, please get in touch with our friendly team today.
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The Role Of Speech And Language Therapy In Stroke Rehabilitation
Priory Grafton Manor, Northampton
In the UK, a person suffers a stroke every five minutes. Globally, that figure increases to every two minutes. Initiatives like the FAST test, which is a simple method to help people to recognise the symptoms of stroke, along with greater prevention awareness and advancements in treatments, have been credited with improving the survival rate of stroke. Over the last 15 years, the rate of people who die as a result of a stroke has decreased dramatically by almost 50%.
Stroke survivors are often left with brain injuries and require rehabilitation to help them to re-build their independence. This means that more individuals will require specialised programmes offered through services such as Priory Grafton Manor, Northampton, which provides an established care pathway of support for people who have had a stroke and as a consequence, have a neurodisability.
As the speech and language therapist at Grafton Manor, I work alongside our wider transdisciplinary team which also includes neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and nursing.
Speech and language therapy is involved through all phases of stroke recovery, and helps people to manage the communication and swallowing difficulties they may face after a stroke.
Specifically, speech and language therapy is involved in:
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Describe Some Communication Problems Patients May Experience Following A Stroke
One type of communication problem is aphasia. Its a language impairment that can affect the patients ability to understand spoken and written language.
For example, they may have difficulty with reading comprehension. They may have difficulty understanding what is said to them. They may not be able to follow directions. Thats called receptive aphasia.
Expressive aphasia affects the patients ability to speak and write language. They may have difficulty naming objects or expressing what they want to say. They may know what they want to say, but they have difficulty organizing their thoughts in order to speak the words that they want to say.
How Family Members Can Support Stroke Survivors
Connect with other survivors. Finding a stroke recovery support group for a loved one may help them meet other people who understand what they are going through. Knowing that youre not alone can sometimes be the biggest release, Bearden said.
Seek mental health guidance. Having a stroke or experiencing any form of brain injury can be very traumatic. There is the initial trauma, and then they wake up and theyve lost the ability to do a functional activity that they did perfectly fine , Bearden said. Incorporating mental health into stroke rehabilitation can help survivors on their recovery journey.
Be patient during communication. A lot of my patients have said that the most frustrating thing is people nowadays arent that patient. Its important to give stroke survivors time to communicate first without filling in words, guessing what they are saying, or interrupting them. Doing so allows people in stroke recovery time to make progress and acknowledges that their voice is important.
Acknowledge progress. It can be encouraging to let a survivor know when you notice an improvement in their stroke recovery. You are there to support them through their struggles and their successes, Bearden said.
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Try These Speech Therapy Exercises Today
These five speech therapy exercises are a great way to get a head start on your recovery.
And if youre looking for further rehabilitation for you or your loved one, Rainbow Rehab and Healthcare provides many different services to give you the quality care you deserve.
Are you ready to join our community? Dont hesitate to arrange a private tour of our facility today.
Its easy to set up, and you can do it right on our website. We look forward to meeting you!
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Practice Thinking Of Words
If you have trouble thinking of the words that you want to say, you can try these helpful word-finding strategies. This activity is helpful for people with aphasia:
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Think of the name of a word that means the same and the opposite. For example, the opposite of “hot” is “cold,” and the opposite of “wet” is “dry.”
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Name as many items in a category as you can. For example, you can name five types of fruit.
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The Signs And Symptoms Of A Stroke
There are many different signs and symptoms that people may experience when they experience a stroke. These can include sudden weakness or numbness in the face or on one side of the body, sudden speech difficulty, double vision, dizziness or loss of balance, or a sudden and severe headache of unknown cause.
Best Stroke Recovery Speech Therapy Exercises
Stroke is a condition that impacts the blood flow to your brain, and it may cause you to experience symptoms such as slurred speech or difficulty moving one side of your body.
Stroke can have many effects on your body depending on which parts of your brain are affected. It can cause you to experience weakness or paralysis in parts of your body, an inability to speak properly, difficulty swallowing, or seeing.
In this article, we will discuss:
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When Do Stroke Patients Need Speech Therapy
Stroke affects people differently. The most popular diagnoses that can make a patient seek Speech Therapy following a stroke include:
Aphasia
Aphasia is a language disorder caused by damage to the area of the brain responsible for speech and language. This condition can affect reading, writing, and communication skills.
There are three types of aphasia: receptive aphasia, which involves issues with understanding whats being said expressive aphasia, which involves difficulty expressing oneself and mixed aphasia or global aphasia, which involves the combination of receptive and expressive symptoms.
Dysarthria
Stroke patients may also experience dysarthria, which hinders communication by weakening speech muscles. Dysarthria can result from the damage to multiple brain functions, including the brain stem, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and nerve fibres.