My Dad Had a Stroke

A couple of years ago my dad had a stroke and ever since he has struggled with his loss of ability to understand or express speech resulting from brain damage, which the doctors call aphasia. This has been quite a struggle especially because before my dad had a stroke he was such a chatty person. I live about six hours away from my parents and I used to get a daily phone call from my dad where we would talk for a solid hour, which is something we both really enjoyed. Since my dad had a stroke, our communication has changed, this has been a transition for both of us since it is now harder to be as connected to him as I once was when we could have our daily phone calls. My dad has been working with an SLP (speech language pathologist) for the past few years and that has greatly improved his communication skills. She recommended the AllTalk, a laptop based speech-generating device (SGD) made by Lingraphica to help him out when she is not around. Since my dad had a stroke he has tried a bunch of SGDs but this one is definitely his favorite. With the AllTalk, my dad and I can Skype and the device provides him with the tools to speak, including vocabulary icons and a talk feature that reads his typed sentences. This Skype option is one of my favorite features because now I can talk to my dad everyday just like we used to. Since my dad had a stroke I have done my best to visit him often, but with a house full of kids getting to my parents house has been difficult. With the AllTalk, I can stay connected to my dad and so can my kids, they love Skyping with grandpa and he loves it too because he can interact with them from far away. Ever since my dad starting using the AllTalk, it has made communication much easier for him and it has helped him to stay connected to my family even though we are miles away.

Here is a link to the AllTalk: http://www.aphasia.com/products/lingraphica-speech-generating-devices/alltalk

Speech-Generating Devices in Speech Recovery

I've written here before about the importance of speech-generating devices for persons with aphasia, however, new research suggests that not only are they good for generating speech, but they can actually help in speech recovery. It seems that speech-generating devices can also be useful as a form of therapy because just hearing the words that you want to articulate and repeating them can be very helpful in reacquiring speech after aphasia resulting from a stroke. Another main reason that speech-generating devices can be helpful for your patients is that they are getting increasingly easy to use. In this environment, when everything is getting more technological, there are advances to make technology easier to use for people who may not be used to it. Certain companies not only make easy to use speech-generating devices, but they also offer technical support if your patent has any questions that they need answered. Some can even dial into your patients' speech-generating device to literally show your patient what to click on and how they do what they need to do. I've heard of this one company that's supposed to be really good. Check them out:

http://www.aphasia.com/products/lingraphica-speech-generating-devices

Speech Recovery through AAC Devices and Therapy Apps

Speech recovery after a stroke can be a very intimidating process. When you lose the ability to communicate, your entire life revolves around getting your thoughts understood by the people that need to hear them. Recovering your speech after being inflicted with aphasia  can happen through many different channels - flash cards or communication boards are very popular. However, the higher tech options such as AAC devices and speech therapy apps for smart phones and tablets can be much more effective in speech recovery. Speech therapy apps allow you to practice speech exercises whenever and wherever you are most comfortable and extend your speech language pathologist's practice to your home. Many people may not believe that AAC Speech-Generating devices can actually help you recover speech because they speak for you, however, connecting the words you want to say to the way they sounds allow you to repeat words and sentences, leading to a slow and steady speech recovery. The high tech path to speech recovery, in my opinion, really is the way to go.

AAC Devices for Older People

AAC devices are a huge leap forward for stroke and aphasia patients. They allow people to communicate when they otherwise would only be able to use hand signals or mumbling, if that. AAC devices (or Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices) are a very growing field in the speech language pathology world, however, many of these AAC devices are on very high tech platforms. Most people who have had strokes and are affected by aphasia are in a much older demographic than people that are what you would call "tech savvy". I worry that people who would normally never use these devices can learn to effectively use them to help get their speech back. has anyone had any experience with this? I know that if i was having this problem at the age of 75, the last thing I would want to do is try to learn to use some high tech AAC device that will be complicated and add to my frustration of not being able to communicate. I understand that for stroke patients who cannot talk, AAC devices are definitely the way to go, however, I don't know how to navigate the waters of a computer based device targeted to older individuals.