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
