While clear and practiced speech and language skills are highly important for people of all ages, this is most true of the elderly. When seniors are unable to articulate their needs, should it be pain or another pressing issue, situations can easily spiral. Speech therapy is a vital bulwark against the humiliation and isolation of speech disorders. It can promote greater health for the elderly population. This is particularly true among those who have experienced a stroke, brain injury, or cancer of the mouth, head, and/or throat.

 

Speech language pathologists (SLPs) provide speech therapy. They focus on an individual’s capacity for language, speech, and comprehension. They generally offer treatment plans to shore up seniors’ cognition and communication skills. They can also address issues relating to difficulties with speech caused by deficiencies in nutrition and hydration. These issues may be overlooked by some medical providers. Speech pathologists are able to promote a healthy lifestyle for seniors, educating them and their carers on dementia-related conditions and how strokes may be prevented. It is important to establish that speech and language abnormalities are not related to factors such as medication, depression, dehydration etc.

Benefits of Speech Therapy for Seniors

 

 

Speech therapy offers a myriad benefits for elderly people. Some older patients come to therapy for mild concerns such as stuttering or fear of speaking around others. There are also more severe circumstances which necessitate speech therapy treatment. Strokes, head injuries, cancer diagnoses: all these significant medical incidents can precipitate communication disorders. However, not only major medical events can lead to impediments in effective communication. General aging can cause speech therapy to become necessary, as vocal cords lose elasticity and the larynx muscles deteriorate. Seniors may struggle to vocalize in the way that they are used to. Vocal exercises can be useful to assist in learning how to speak in a way that won’t tax the body too much. When thinking about the potential benefits of speech therapy for yourself or an elderly family member consider:

• Is the person in question struggling to respond to others or request items they require?
• Are they either having a hard time speaking audibly or hearing others?
• Is an inability to speak clearly or otherwise communicate impeding their ability to manage their personal affairs?
• Are they frequently transposing words?
• Are they having trouble swallowing or struggling with the sensation of something being ‘stuck’ in their chest/throat?
• Are you concerned that they may struggle to communicate effectively in an emergency situation?
• Are they reluctant to speak as of late?

 

A speech language pathologist is a highly trained individual skilled in helping older adults overcome language impairments through training. When you seek treatment, the first step for the SLP will be a thorough evaluation followed by recommendations for which therapies should be pursued. Depending on whether the issues are aphasia-related or dysphasia-based, or both, the therapy will vary. Another factor which impacts the treatment program is whether the condition is the result of a stroke, head injury, dementia, or other issue.

 

Helping Seniors Communicate after a Stroke

 

 

After a stroke, a person’s ability to communicate can be impaired. Aphasia affects the ability to comprehend and coherently use language. One in four stroke survivors experience aphasia. Speech therapy can assist, but this is dependent on when it is sought out. Apraxia is another condition commonly found in stroke survivors. It involves the sufferer being unable to move their lips correctly to form words. The most common way of addressing this condition is to work on repeating specific sounds and turning those sounds into words. It can be necessary for sufferers to slow down their usual speech patterns in order to concentrate more on producing the correct sounds.

 

More intense strokes typically have a more significant effect on the extent of the damage to language ability. An ischemic stroke can still impair movement in the face and impact the body’s ability to swallow. Speech language pathologists are trained to help seniors improve their communication and cognitive skills.

 

Common therapy solutions include:

• Singing – melodic intonations can be helpful when dealing with words that can’t be spoken
• Visual speech perception – undergoing cognitive retraining by associating certain words with pictures
• Muscle training/compensation strategies – prevent muscle deterioration and increase strength with regular exercise of the relevant muscle groups for speech
• Constraint-induced therapy – a requirement of creating scenarios with no visual stimuli, only spoken words
• Support groups – sharing strategies with peers and lauding successes
• Diet alterations – dysphasia relief through special diets, feeding, and hydration techniques

 

The Importance of Speech Therapy for Seniors with Dementia

 

 

Dementia-related conditions and memory disorders have a marked effect on cognitive communication. When seniors struggle to process and remember information, reasoning and problem solving skills can also be impaired. A speech pathologist can assist in the earlier stages of dementia with a number of methods. Practicing language skills and keeping them strong can minimize the signs of memory conditions, giving seniors greater control over their speech and reasoning skills. Elderly individuals may sometimes overlook nourishment and hydration requirements. Speech therapists can work with them and their families to address these issues and prevent swallowing issues. There is overlap with the methods used in these cases and those used for patients in recovery for strokes.

 

Speech Therapy for Head Injuries and Cancer Patients

 

 

Traumatic head injuries and serious cancer treatments can leave seniors in need of assistance with complications involving language and communication skills. As always, how severe the issue is will affect the avenue of treatment taken. Some treatments can involve electric stimulation of the throat muscles. Seniors can recover their language capacities with exercises to maintain muscle function. A speech pathologist may also refer a patient to another specialist that can assist with speech issues. Audiologists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists can all have a positive effect on treatment. Speech therapy can help patients with their concentration and find the right word, as well as respond to cues accordingly. Over the course of six months to a year, the goal is to have a patient reach the maximum possible functioning of their speech and language skills. This may not always be the same level they enjoyed prior to their injury or stroke.

 

Other Conditions that Speech Therapy Can Address

 

 

 

Dysarthria is a condition common to many ailments which afflict the nervous system, such as Parkinson’s. Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder which can slow down the rate of speech, cause slurring, or otherwise negatively impact the quality of speech. Analysis involves an SLP monitoring the patient’s muscle and breathing patterns, often while they repeat certain sounds. This helps the practitioner find the most effective way to aid the patient. Treatment generally involves the patient working on breathing technique and tongue and lip movement. Sometimes intentionally slowing down the rate of speech can be helpful, as speaking more slowly gives the patient more time to form words.

Treatment with Lynne Alba Speech Therapy Solutions

 

At Lynne Alba Speech Therapy Solutions we have been helping seniors with their speech and language skills for over 20 years. We are proud of our commitment to improving our abilities and keeping up with the very latest speech therapy techniques. If you or a loved one would benefit from speech therapy specially adapted for elderly patients, contact us today: 310-856-8528.