Although Speech Therapy has been known to help people of all ages improve their communication skills, it is also intended to treat speech and cognitive impairments caused by an unexpected injury or other health condition, such as Parkinson’s or dementia.
Your healthcare team may recommend speech therapy care at a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) if you or your loved one have recently suffered a stroke, live with a chronic illness, or experience swallowing challenges that affect your ability to maintain an independent lifestyle.
What is Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy is used not only to improve communication in speaking, problem solving, reading, and writing, but also to help patients with verbal expression and memory retention.
Each person’s speech therapy program is unique to their individual medical needs and may be modified to their own abilities. Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) provide each person with the exercises and therapy recommendations they need to improve health conditions such as:
- Aphasia: a disorder often caused by a stroke or head injury that affects how a person communicates, writes, and understands language
- Apraxia: a disorder that may be caused by a stroke that affects a person’s ability to form words
- Dysarthria: a motor speech disorder caused by a nervous system disease that affects a person’s ability to speak and may include slurred or slow rate of speech
- Dysphagia: the inability to swallow or chew food easily
Speech Therapy at Prestige Care
Your loved one’s rehabilitation journey at a Prestige Care Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center may involve a speech therapy program depending on their recovery needs. A person may be required to work with a speech language pathologist if they are experiencing speech, cognitive, or dysphagia that could affect their ability to achieve optimal independence.
At Prestige, our team of speech language pathologists work with each patient to establish an individualized care plan intended to help improve their ability to communicate, problem solve, and swallow food. Every patient has unique medical needs that may require different levels of care based on their personal rehabilitation goals. This may include working on verbal and vocal cues, repeating certain sounds or words, or practicing tongue and lip movement techniques to improve their overall speech and cognitive skills.
Our speech therapy teams also work with other members of the patient’s interdisciplinary team. This can involve working with the patient’s nursing team, social worker, occupational and physical therapists, and their dietary team to help determine their personalized approach to recovery. It is especially important for our SLPs to work with a patient’s registered dietitian if special accommodations are required, such as serving food in a way that can be consumed by a person who may have a difficult time with chewing or swallowing.
Speech therapy exercises are also utilized to help build confidence in communicating, improve memory, and regain the ability to live independently. Upon discharge, we provide each patient with the tools and resources they need to continue their recovery and return home as confidently as possible. This may include at-home exercises such as lip and tongue movement techniques, reading out loud, and playing memory games to help maintain cognitive function.
In addition to speech exercises, we provide continuous, comprehensive evaluations to measure each individual’s recovery progress during their short- or long-term stay to ensure they are receiving the advanced care they need to achieve their highest level of recovery.
Whether you have been experiencing side effects from a stroke, swallowing difficulties, or other cognitive health conditions, our speech language pathologists work diligently with each member of your healthcare team to provide you with the care you need to achieve your goals and prevent future complications.
Maintaining Your Health
At Prestige Care, our speech therapy teams provide each patient with comprehensive evaluations, personalized care, and the resources they require to help achieve their unique rehabilitation needs and ensure the highest quality of life following their recovery. Learn more about our speech therapy program by contacting a Prestige Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center near you.