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Adults
Key to Speak and Swallow is a private practice specialising in the assessment and rehabilitation of communication and swallowing difficulties in the adult population.
The communication process is a relatively automatic process we usually take for granted. However, communication can be effected as a result of a stroke, head injury or progressive neurological disorders. Having a communication deficit can result in serious frustration, anxiety and avoidance of interaction. Through the expert knowledge, support and guidance of our Speech Pathologists, quality of life can be improved with an individual tailored program and developed communication style for each client.
We offer a range of therapy options to best suit you. We pride ourselves on being client and family oriented, meaning we individualise all therapy plans. We work with you to achieve the best possible outcomes.
We provide support and education to individuals, family members, and support staff around any difficulties that are identified through assessment. Mobile visits to residential homes and aged care facilities are available.
Areas Of Focus…
LANGUAGE
Aphasia: is an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence. Aphasia may impair the ability to:
- Understand
- May not be able to recognise sounds
- May lose the meaning of words
- May not remember information
- May not understand sentence structure
- Talking
- May know what something is but cannot say its name
- May substitute words or sounds while talking
- Can say the main words (nouns, verbs) but can not link them together to form a grammatical correct sentence
- Get stuck on words/sounds
- May have trouble explaining things clearly
- Reading
- May have trouble recognising and understanding letters or words
- May have difficulties recalling details from long stories/information
- Writing
- Have trouble forming letters into words and subsequently forming sentences
- May have trouble organising ideas into logical structure
SPEECH
Dysarthria: is a speech or voice difficulty resulting from muscle weakness, or poor coordination of the breathing and speech muscles. This may result in:
- Altered speech volume
- Changed vocal quality
- Slurred speech
- Pitch and volume may not alter (sound the same)
Dyspraxia: is a speech disorder caused by damage to the speech control centres of the brain used for planning and forming sounds and words into speech. This may result in:
- Someone having difficulty finding the correct mouth position to make/coordinate sounds
- Difficulty making smooth transitions between sounds and words
Dementia: A condition of impairment of memory, intellect, personality, and insight resulting from brain injury or disease. Some forms of dementia are progressive, such as Alzheimer’s disease, or some forms of Parkinson’s disease. Language impairments are more or less prominent in different forms of dementia, but these are usually overshadowed by more widespread intellectual loss. Since dementia is so often a progressive disorder, the prognosis is quite different from aphasia.
(Reference: This information was supplied by Speech Pathology Australia)
Swallowing Difficulties
Dysphagia (Swallowing Difficulties)
Did you know that swallowing is a complex activity requiring the coordination of more than 55 pairs of muscles in the face, throat and neck, and six cranial nerves.
What is dysphagia? Dysphagia may present as difficulty drinking, chewing, swallowing, sucking, taking medication, controlling saliva or protecting your airway.
What are the Symptoms of Dysphagia?
- Choking when eating or drinking
- Difficulty swallowing dry or chewy foods
- Gurgly or wet voice after swallowing
- Drooling or inability to control saliva
- Pain when swallowing
- Sensation of food getting “stuck” in the throat or neck region
- Unexplained weight loss
- Recurring chest infections
- Pneumonia
Dysphagia can result in:
- Breathing difficulties
- Choking
- Chest infections (aspiration pneumonia)
- Weight loss
- Malnutrition and dehydration.
Dysphagia can be permanent or temporary. A Speech Pathologist can assist to manage the dysphagia and improve the ability to swallow safely.
