What is the Purpose and Function of Speech-Language Therapy?
Speech-language therapy is generically, and at NeuLife, a clinically relevant service that assesses, diagnoses, rehabilitates and helps to prevent communication and swallowing disorders. Speech, language and swallowing disorders arise from a variety of causes, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury and other catastrophic injuries.
Strokes are a very common cause of swallowing disorders. Although seeming simple, the process of swallowing is very complex, and the physical inability to swallow has wide and varied implications that require rehabilitation including, through speech-language therapy.
Swallowing disorders often result from the paralysis of the throat muscles, which is a condition called “dysphagia.” In fact, strokes are the leading cause of one type of dysphagia, called “oropharyngeal” dysphagia. The other type is called“ esophageal” dysphagia. It occurs most frequently among elderly people and does not commonly result from strokes or traumatic brain injuries[1].
Oropharyngeal dysphagia is the inability to move food or liquid from the mouth to the upper part of the esophagus. It may be evidenced by some or all of the following symptoms:
- Difficulty initiating the swallow;
- Choking when food gets stuck;
- Coughing or gagging while swallowing;
- Nasal regurgitation (liquid coming out of the nose);
- Food getting caught in the lungs;
- Inability to ingest enough food or liquid, causing weight loss;
- Weak voice;
- Drooling;
- Poor tongue control;
- Loss of gag reflex[2].
An integral part of many of the innovative Client Goal Plans developed by NeuLife for its post-acute rehab stroke clients is swallow therapy. This is a form of specialized rehabilitation that consists of stimulating the back of the mouth so as to help move food into the throat, and which can sometimes help swallowing. A NeuLife speech-language professional also provides rehabilitation by designing, teaching and practicing innovative exercises with the client to strengthen the muscles needed to overcome the weakness. These are but two of the panoply of clinically relevant services that NeuLife can provide to enhance the client’s ability to perform activities of daily living and advance toward independence.
Speech-language therapy is also an important part of rehabilitation in traumatic brain injury cases caused other than by strokes, such as penetrating or closed-head injuries. Communication and cognitive problems frequently accompany the physical trauma. These can include:
- Difficulty in finding correct words to express oneself;
- Staying on track in a conversation;
- Taking turns in a conversation;
- Keeping up with others in a conversation;
- Concentration when distractions occur (noise, sights, etc.);
- Slower processing of new information or integrating it into older information; and
- Planning tasks, starting them and setting goals (“executive functions”)[3].
As part of NeuLife’s commitment to its client, innovative speech language therapies will be designed and employed to rehabilitate, provide care and to attain the best possible outcomes in even the most difficult and challenging diagnoses. The care provided will be geared to enable our client to perform activities of daily living, to achieve independence and to ensure the best possible outcome.
NeuLife’s mission is to consistently provide the highest standard of care in the delivery of clinically relevant services with the goal of achieving successful sustained outcomes and exceeding the expectations of all persons served.
The professionals at NeuLife, including its team of psychologists, psychiatrists neurologists, RNs and therapists are expert in the provision of innovative, clinically relevant services, including the creation of aClient Goal Plan, and delivery of neurobehavioral and neurorehabilitative services. NeuLife’s goal is to provide specialized post-acute rehabilitation to its clients to achieve the best possible outcome for those who have even the most difficult and challenging diagnoses.
NeuLife’s philosophy is that healing, wellness and personal fulfillment are best accomplished in a positive and uplifting therapeutic environment where caring staff encourage, assist and support each client so he or she may achieve specific goals. NeuLife believes personal fulfillment is equally as important as goals to increase function and independence. NeuLife seeks to achieve maximized, sustained outcomes that exceed the expectations of all persons served.
NeuLife, in Mount Dora, Florida, is an accessible residential post-acute program providing specialized rehabilitation to individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic amputations and other catastrophic injuries.
2725 Robie Avenue
Mount Dora, Florida 32757
[1] National Stroke Association, http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=dysphagia#symptoms
[2] Ibid
[3] American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/TBI/
