Speech therapy is a rehabilitation process that we offer as part of our home health care services. With speech therapy, seniors can address problems with their ability to communicate and swallow food or liquids properly. The ability to perform these tasks is vital to senior health as they promote healthy aging and independence.
As a trusted provider of nursing services in Florida, we will discuss how aging adults benefit from receiving speech therapy:
- Improve the ability to swallow.
Age-weakened muscles can diminish a senior’s ability to swallow food or drink liquids. This increases the likelihood of choking and can cause malnutrition in older adults. Speech therapy treats the larynx and jaw muscles to improve the swallowing reflex. This increases safety and comfort during meals. - Strengthen the vocal cords.
As we age, many parts of our bodies weaken. The vocal cords are no exception as they become less elastic with age. This weakens the larynx muscles and makes communication challenging. Although speech therapy cannot fix the elasticity of vocal cords, it can include specialized vocal exercises to strengthen them and enhance the quality of communication. - Address stroke-related disorders.
Aphasia and apraxia often occur following a stroke. Aphasia is the inability to find the right words while apraxia is the inability to move the lips properly to form words. Speech therapy can help seniors focus to find the right words and involves the repetition of sounds to turn those sounds into words.
BLOOMING GARDENS OF CARE is a leading provider of exceptional home health care services in Tampa, Florida. To provide comprehensive care, we offer therapy services like physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Reach out to us to learn more about our services and other ways we can help facilitate healthy aging at home.
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