Speech Therapy Exercises for Stroke Patients

Patients who’ve survived a stroke sometimes come out of it needing speech therapy to regain their speaking skills.

Although it may take time—depending on the severity— it’s not impossible to regain the ability to speak again. It may also help the process with a home health aide around.

Here are some exercises worth doing outside of therapy that your skilled nursing provider can facilitate.

• Tongue Exercises
  It helps create the necessary sounds to construct words. Tongue exercises can be repetitive motions (in-and-out, side-to-side, or up-and-down) or talking. This helps strengthen the tongue while exercising fine movements that allow the patient to produce words.
• Mouth Exercises
  These exercises include alternating between pouting and smiling. This range of movement is helpful in fine-tuning your facial muscles, which ultimately aid in forming words correctly.
• Breathing Exercises
  It’s common for stroke patients to experience difficulty regulating their speech and breathing. Breathing exercises help manage your breathing while you are speaking. Knowing when to inhale and exhale when composing a sentence is the key.
• Talk and Read Out Loud
  Start by producing sounds like vowels, consonants, or a combination. Practice producing words by talking or reading out loud until your mouth and tongue become more familiar with the movements. It may feel unfamiliar and cause the patient to feel conscious. But remember that your home health care in Californiais with you every step.

Call Americare Home Health, Inc., your home health agency in Van Nuys, California, for your therapy needs. We offer a range of services that improve the quality of life of your loved one. Set an appointment with us today!