After a stroke, long-term illness or traumatic accident, some adults require speech therapy in order to regain control of that form of communication. Expressive language and the mechanics of articulation, pitch, fluency and volume are an important part of getting back to a normal life. Speech and language therapy is another service provided in your home by Centric Healthcare.

In-Home Speech Therapy Services

Speech therapy at home is a service that focuses on receptive language and issues of comprehension as well as the mechanical processes of using speech and language to communicate the patient’s thoughts and feelings. Private speech therapy in your home focuses on several goals, such as:

• Assessing the degree of difficulty and designing the necessary therapeutic programs to correct those issues.

• Enhancing oral motor functioning.

• Overcoming issues with breathing that inhibit speech.

• Helping to regain cognitive loss associated with memory, problem-solving, sequencing, word meaning, etc.

• Overcoming issues related to accent.

• Correcting difficulties with chewing and swallowing.

• Facilitating the production of speech sounds.

• Fine-tuning vocal loudness and quality.

• Restoring verbal reasoning and awareness.

• Correcting disfluency issues such as stuttering.

• Enhancing the pragmatic functions of speech in social settings.

Private speech therapy in your home can help enhance and restore a greater sense of normalcy after an illness, stroke or traumatic accident and get you back to the lifestyle that you are used to.

What Is Speech Therapy?

When a person considers speech therapy, their first thought is often upon the various aspects of verbal communication. Where verbal communication is a major part of speech therapy, the practice and expertise of a speech therapist actually reaches beyond communication and into other issues often associated with the loss of muscle strength and coordination. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) is a form of physical therapy, which helps the patient regain the lost muscle strength and coordination.

An SLP performs various functions associated with the mouth, throat and even the lungs and diaphragm. Here are some of the functions of an SLP in relation to speech and language therapy:

• Finding words. This problem is often associated with dementia and memory loss.

• Social communication. Difficulty with interacting and communicating with others.

• Language structure. Grammar, sentence structure and word meanings are impaired.

• Literacy impairments. This issue is typically related to phonetics and semantics as well as issues associated with reading comprehension.

• Voice issues. A raspy voice or a voice that is too soft can often impair social or professional performance.

• Cognitive impairment. Similar to the issues of finding proper words to use, cognitive impairments often prevent a person from being able to organize a broader stream of thought into coherent speech.

• Swallowing. Speech issues are often related to normal functions of the throat which have lost coordination or muscle strength. This issue affects eating as well as speech.

• Diaphragm control. Controlling the release of air during speech has a significant impact on speech and this issue is often related to a loss of coordination of the diaphragm.

These functions are all an important part of speech and language therapy and they can be performed in a clinical setting or in your home.

Who Needs Speech Therapy?

In general, speech therapy is often necessary for patients who have had a stroke, a debilitating illness or a traumatic accident. It is sometimes necessary for dementia patients as well. To be more specific when it comes to targeting and assisting those in need of speech therapy, a certified SLP or Speech-Language Pathologist will conduct a speech-language evaluation to determine the extent of the need of the patient.

What Is a Speech-Language Evaluation?

A speech-language evaluation is a series of tests conducted by an SLP in order to determine the extent of the patient’s speech disability. This evaluation typically includes the following examinations or tests:

• An assessment of overall language comprehension and vocabulary levels.

• An evaluation of grammatical and structural speech formation.

• Assessing the level of oral motor skills.

• An evaluation of swallowing and breathing issues that might inhibit speaking and other functions.

• An assessment of social speech and language interaction skills.

From this assessment, the SLP will be able to determine the level of care required for the patient and design the necessary therapeutic treatments to restore speech and language skills.

What Are the Benefits of Speech Therapy at Home?

The privacy of your own home is one of the best places to take advantage of the benefits of speech therapy. Besides the obvious reasons for privacy, private speech therapy has a number of advantages such as:

• The patient receives more personal one-to-one attention.

• Effective communication at home is enhanced through family guidance, education and support.

• The stressors of transportation often inhibit concentration and progress.

• Exposure to illnesses and diseases that can inhibit progress is less frequent with at-home speech therapy.

• Speech therapy can often be coordinated with other physical and occupational therapies as needed in the home, where they might not be available in an outpatient setting

• Difficulty with speech, swallowing, quality, volume and pitch control can make a person self-conscious and inhibit reaching the goals and objectives of speech therapy. For this reason and those listed above, the benefits of speech therapy at home make it the best option for patients who need it.