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

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.