A Medicare-Certified
Home Health Care Agency

Speech Therapy Addresses a Wide Variety of Problems — and Patients

People who experience difficulty talking normally or swallowing something even as simple as a pill are often good candidates for help from Empathy Care's speech therapists — known more formally as speech language pathologists. Our therapists have been trained to evaluate and treat problems with phonation, articulation, fluency, resonance and voice as pertaining to speech. They also address components of language including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics for comprehension and expression in oral and written contexts.

It's all part of their training in speech language pathology, the study of disorders that affect a person’s speech, language, voice, swallowing and cognition, and the treatment techniques that allow for improvement of physical and cognitive deficits related to communication and swallowing.

Speech and language problems can develop from a variety of diseases, congenital abnormalities, and injuries. For instance, some problems are related to stroke, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive dementia and cancer of the head, neck and throat. Our therapists work closely with physicians to identify problems and develop individualized treatment plans.

Treatments, of course, can vary. For speech treatments, however, they often involve exercises that strengthen muscles in the lips, tongue and jaw. For instance, a therapist assisting a stroke victim might work with the patient to try and mimic various facial expressions — a technique that can improve muscle tone. Language disorders are often treated using word finding and naming objects and pictures.

Swallowing disorders are often treated with laryngeal (throat) exercises and activities for increasing tolerance to different textures for regular diets. The ability to ingest and enjoy various types of food is significant in quality of life issues.

Few everyday skills in life are more important than intelligible speech and communication. Empathy Care can help, and all within the setting of your own home. For more information, please send an e-mail to our director of therapy or give us a call at 561-395-9101.