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Ms. Nayantara Nambiar, Speech Language Pathologist, Unified Brain Health Care
We know what a stroke is, and we know that in most cases it affects a person’s speech. If the person has difficulty understanding or difficulty speaking, one of the important professionals in the stroke survivor’s recovery team should be a Speech Therapist. A Speech Therapist can not only help with speaking but also with feeding and swallowing difficulties.
When do we see a Speech Therapist post-stroke?
Starting early is the best but even if it is 3 months or more since the stroke, it would still be beneficial to the survivor and the family.
While Admitted to hospital (The first 2 weeks)
Check if the hospital has a Speech Therapist. If not, ask your doctor to refer you to a Speech Therapist who can help you. The Speech Therapist will assess the type and severity of the problems with speaking and swallowing. The earlier the rehabilitation process begins, the better the recovery.
Treatment at hospital
The Speech Therapist can support the stroke survivor to communicate with the hospital staff and the family during the treatment, regardless of the medical status of the person. Any attempts made to provide language input to the person will be helpful.
Discharge from hospital (The first 2 to 3 months)
When the stroke survivor is discharged, the Speech Therapist will ensure that the person and the family have established a method of communicating with each other. This could be using actions/pictures/words to help the person express their needs (e.g. toilet, sleep) once they go home.
Rehabilitation (Month 3 and beyond)
Rehabilitation can be done in the person’s home or in a rehabilitation centre. During this time the Speech Therapist will find out the wishes of the stroke survivor and their family about the goals of speech therapy, e.g. “to speak to my grandchildren” or “to talk to my colleagues at work” and provide therapy based on that.
If you are a stroke survivor's caregiver, don’t wait to ask for and consult a Speech Therapist as soon as possible!
Contact Us for helping your loved one with communication problems at any time in their rehabilitation journey. Book an Appointment with our Speech Language Pathologist if they have any speech, feeding or swallowing problems.
Unified Brain Health Care is one of a kind Neuro Rehabilitation Centre in Chennai for adults and children offering in person and online therapy in Cognitive Rehabilitation, Clinical Psychology, Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Clinical Nutrition, Career Counselling, Fitness Coaching and Educational Intervention. We also offer support for PCOS management, Pregnancy Care, Post-Pregnancy care for New Moms, Infant and Early Childhood Stimulation, Caregivers and promoting Holistic Brain Health.