Speech Therapy
Mary Free Bed offers comprehensive speech therapy services for inpatients and outpatients of all ages, helping them improve communication, cognitive skills, and swallowing function.
Understanding Speech Therapy
Speech therapy focuses on evaluating and treating speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing disorders.
These disorders can result from various conditions, including neurological disorders, developmental delays, injuries, and surgeries. Our goal is to help patients regain their ability to communicate and perform daily activities independently.
CJ's Speech Therapy Journey at Mary Free Bed at Covenant HealthCare
Treatment Plans, Common Causes, & Benefits of Therapy
Personalized Treatment Plans
Your treatment begins with a comprehensive evaluation conducted by our skilled speech-language pathologists. This evaluation can include assessments of speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing abilities to determine the most effective treatment approach.
Based on the evaluation, we develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs and goals. Your plan may include:
- Speech and language therapeutic tasks
- Cognitive-communication strategies
- Swallowing therapy
- Voice therapy
- Fluency training
- Use of assistive communication devices (AAC)
Common Causes
Speech and language disorders can result from various conditions. Listed below are some common causes and examples:
- Neurological disorders (stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease)
- Head and neck cancer
- Developmental delays and disorders (autism, apraxia of speech)
- Injuries (head trauma, vocal cord damage)
- Surgeries (cervical neck fusion)
- Chronic conditions (multiple sclerosis)
Benefits of Speech Therapy
- Improved communication skills
- Enhanced cognitive function
- Better swallowing safety and efficiency
- Increased confidence in social and professional interactions
- Greater independence in daily activities
Who is Eligible?
Our speech therapy services are available to individuals of all ages, from children to adults, who are experiencing:
Speech and Language Disorders
Aphasia Rehabilitation (following a stroke or brain injury)
Cognitive-Communication Disorders
Swallowing Difficulties (dysphagia)
Voice Disorders
Fluency Disorders (stuttering)
Expert Speech Therapy Services
Patients typically attend therapy two to three days per week, with several appointments per day, for a total of six to seven sessions each week. The program lasts 10 – 12 weeks and is customized to your goals and tolerance.
- Pain that persists longer than expected or doesn’t respond to treatment
- Difficulties carrying out daily tasks, working, or attending school
- Emotional challenges like depression or anxiety linked to pain
- Overuse of medications such as opioids
- Reduced quality of life caused by chronic pain
Specialized Speech Therapy Programs at Mary Free Bed
Changes in your voice, like hoarseness or breathiness, can result from vocal strain, lesions on the vocal cords, or reduced vocal cord movement. These changes may occur due to surgery, intense vocal use, post-viral effects, or other health conditions.
Mary Free Bed speech-language pathologists are experts in communication disorders, including VCD. They can develop a personalized plan and guide you through exercises to manage your vocal cord dysfunction symptoms during speech therapy sessions.
Myofunctional Training Specialty Program
The way we swallow can affect eating, talking, appearance, and breathing. Myofunctional disorders, which can impact people of all ages, occur when the tongue pushes forward or sideways while swallowing, leading to various medical issues.
Speech-language pathologists in the Mary Free Bed Myofunctional Training Program’s help strengthen and improve control of the muscles in your face and mouth, especially the tongue.
After an initial evaluation, we’ll create a personalized therapy plan. Typically, training starts with weekly 30-minute sessions for four to six weeks to establish new behaviors. Follow-up visits may be needed but will become less frequent over three to six months.
