Speech Therapy
Speech therapy specializes in helping residents restore function in areas of swallowing; memory; problem solving; spoken communication and comprehension; non-verbal communication systems when verbal is not an option, along with reading and writing.
As Speech Pathologists, we help patients in so many ways beyond simply “talking”. The types of patients we help are extremely diverse, including those with deficits related to: neurologic disorders, respiratory disorders, cognitive disorders, and certain cancers. There are a number of medical conditions that benefit from speech therapy for dysphagia, also known as difficulty swallowing.
Speech therapists work collaboratively with Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, but also with Nursing and Life Enrichment staff to help patients who have cognitive and communication disorders to interact more successfully in other therapies and facility activities.
Because our goal is most often to help patients to successfully return home, Speech therapy can be an important part of their Real. Life. Rehab.
As experts in the area of swallowing disorders, Speech therapists work with patients to improve lost swallowing function and to help determine diets and techniques that patients will follow at home.
We also help patients get ready to follow written directions for meal preparation, to successfully interact on the telephone or in person with service personnel, store clerks and even when needed, with emergency personnel. We assist them in learning systems that will help them with remembering appointments, medication schedules, and other things important to their specific routine at home.