Stroke patients can get speech back
DEAR DR. K: My mother recently had a stroke, that severely impacted her speech. What can be done to help her?
(This column ran originally in October 2013.)
DEAR READER: Losing the ability to speak, or to understand speech, takes away our ability to communicate with others.
Your mother should begin a rehabilitation program with a speech-language pathologist as soon as she is able. This therapist will help your mother improve. The two most common stroke-related speech impairments are aphasia and dysarthria.
Aphasia is the loss of the power to use or understand words. In most people, it occurs when a stroke damages the left side of the brain, where language is processed. Some people with aphasia have trouble talking but can easily understand speech. Others talk easily but can’t understand what people are saying.
Rehab for someone with aphasia involves speech and language exercises that help the patient regain the ability to understand, speak, read and write. Exercises include repeating words a therapist says, practicing following directions, practicing reading and writing. Group therapy sessions allow the patient to talk with others who are recovering from strokes. A therapist may recommend a voice-output, or speech-generating, device to aid communication in daily life.
Dysarthria is the inability to speak because the stroke has weakened the muscles of the tongue, palate and lips — the parts of the mouth that utter words. With dysarthria, a person can understand speech and form proper words in her mind, but just cannot get the words out of her mouth. Persons with dysarthria often can write their thoughts down perfectly well even though they cannot speak them out loud.
A person with dysarthria can do exercises to help increase strength and endurance in the muscles used for speech. The therapist also helps to improve enunciation. He or she might recommend speaking more slowly or taking deeper breaths before speaking.