Therapy usually entails individual therapy training, and education to help an individual overcome or compensate for any of their difficulties. TIRR Memorial Hermann's speech therapists address the individual needs of patients diagnosed with a wide range of disorders, including, but not limited to:
A harmonized plan of treatment for each individual is developed by a team of doctors and specialists in order to ensure the best possible care and a return to independence.
There are a wide range of treatments, techniques and technologies being used to enhance speech skills, including melodic intonation therapy, Visi-Pitch® and Bungalow software programs.
As appropriate, we work closely with each client to find alternative methods of communication. There are many different kinds of devices that meet different needs from the simple, non-electronic variety to the complex, computerized device. Devices may be controlled by a puff of air, a blink of an eye, typing on a keyboard, or a synthesized voice.
For those with swallowing problems, the department utilizes a number of special diagnostic tools, including non-invasive x-ray procedures, to help evaluate the nature and extent of the condition. Various electronic devices and computers, if appropriate, may also be used both in assessment and treatment.
Most swallowing problems can be diagnosed upon examination of speech, oral function and by observation of the swallowing mechanisms but sometimes it is necessary to confirm this by videofluoroscopy. This is a video x-ray to show exactly what is happening when food and drink of different consistencies is swallowed. From the results of the video swallow, appropriate treatment recommendations are made.
With the guidance of a speech pathologist, treatment may involve incorporating compensatory strategies when eating (including chin tuck, frequent swallows or checking mouth), altering food consistencies (including soft, pureed or chopped) and specialized eating/drinking equipment.
LSVT is a proven effective treatment program that restores oral communication in individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) beyond what current pharmacological and surgical interventions can offer.
The development of LSVT was motivated by the recognition that the reduced ability to communicate is one of the most difficult aspects of PD. Soft voice, monotone, hoarse voice quality, and imprecise articulation, together with lessened facial expression, contribute to limitations in communication.
The LSVT approach centers on a very specific therapeutic target: increased vocal loudness. This key target acts as a trigger to increase effort and coordination across the speech production system.
Speech therapists also work to improve cognitive function, helping individuals with attention to tasks, memory, reasoning, problem solving, and executive functioning, such as goal setting, planning, initiating, self-awareness, self-monitoring and evaluation.
TIRR Memorial Hermann offers a new swallowing workstation technology that helps medical professionals assess and improve a patient's swallowing. Housed on a mobile cart that can be rolled to radiology or to the bedside, the swallow station can be used for imaging studies, therapy, patient and family education and further evaluation.
The workstation has three components:
Digital recording allows for visualization and recording of modified barium swallow studies without exposing the patient to additional radiation. Studies are stored and can be retrieved and analyzed in real time, either frame by frame or in slow motion. Multiple swallow studies can be compared side by side to evaluate a patient's improvement.
The swallow signals lab can be used to enhance therapy by giving patients visual feedback on a screen, which facilitates learning during swallowing exercises. Patients are able to see how they're breathing in relation to each swallow and see the timing of each swallow.
FEES is an endoscopic technique used to evaluation patients with dysphagia. During the procedure a flexible tube is passed through the nose, allowing clinicians to see internal structures during swallowing and non-swallowing tasks.
FEES advantages over fluoroscopy include:
For over 17 years, Eric Blumentritt has worked for a power tool service company in Deer Park, Texas. Away from his job, he is a husband, father and musician who plays with a local band. After an accident at work resulted in a traumatic brain injury, Eric went to TIRR Memorial Hermann for rehabili...
In April 2021, Alexandra Chavez sustained a brain injury and was in a coma for a month. Once she was medically stable, in May 2021, Alexandra’s parents had her transferred to TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston for rehabilitation.
Shortly following a surgery, Brandon had several acute strokes. Although he survived, he lost his ability to walk, speak and, most importantly, to sing. But with the love of his wife and help from the specialists at TIRR Memorial Hermann, Brandon has found his voice again and is sharing it on sta...
Sandra Mora has had a series of personal goals she has been working towards as a patient at TIRR Memorial Hermann. She wanted to stand as a bridesmaid at a friend’s wedding as well as help her daughter prepare for her modeling jobs. Finally, she wanted to take her kids to Disney World. She has ch...
Wife, mom of two young daughters, and financial controller for a Fortune 100 company, Carrie Jobe is a self-proclaimed ‘working momma and boss lady.’ When a series of fainting spells led to a benign brain tumor diagnosis, she didn’t intend to let it slow her down for too long.
After retiring in 2017, Lewis Frey turned his part-time love of playing his guitar, into a full-time job. He had regular gigs around the Houston area, and he and his band were enjoying entertaining their audiences. But, in June 2019 he had a stroke which put a pause in his playing. After his inpa...
In March 2020, high school principal Phil Eaton was admitted to Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center with pneumonia. A short time later, he was diagnosed with COVID-19. His condition became serious, and he spent 21 days on a ventilator. After being discharged from acute care, Phil was ex...
After having a stroke and being rushed into surgery to remove a large portion of her skull to allow for brain swelling, Cathy was accepted into TIRR Memorial Hermann for rehabilitation.
After an automobile accident left him bedridden and unresponsive, River's sister found hope for him with the TIRR Memorial Hermann Disorders of Consciousness Rehabilitation Program.
In July 2013, Evelyn Suber was hospitalized for dehydration – the result of a serious viral infection. At some point during the two weeks she was ill, she noticed numbness in her legs. A month later, when the numbness persisted, neurologist Suresh Roongta, MD, admitted her to Memorial Hermann Gre...
A couple of months shy of her fourth birthday, Natalie Fraker’s voice grew a little hoarse. An endoscopic examination by an otolaryngologist revealed a partially paralyzed vocal cord. On biopsy, it was identified as a grade II astrocytoma, a tumor that arises from the star-shaped cells that...
Easter Sunday in April 2014, out of the blue, Mikayla Williams had a seizure – a dramatic occurrence for an otherwise healthy 12-year-old girl. A CT scan and blood tests done at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital produced inconclusive results, and Mikayla was sent home with an anti-...
When Samantha Shine came to TIRR Memorial Hermann Pediatric Outpatient Rehabilitation at the Kirby Glen Center, the 3-year-old was still eating puréed food – very slowly – and was underweight for her age. Six months later, she eats breakfast, lunch and dinner with her family an...
On January 21, 2011, United States Representative Gabrielle Giffords was transferred from the University of Arizona Medical Center to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center’s Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit. Rep. Giffords’ physician team upgraded her condition from serious to good fou...
As an infant, Moya was diagnosed with a global developmental delay and, as a toddler, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She was delayed in movements and milestones that a toddler normally accomplishes, such as sitting up, standing and saying a few clear words. Moya had received therapy befor...
Karen and Vincent adopted Isabella from a Chinese orphanage in 2008. They took her to an international adoption doctor to complete the adoption process. The doctor informed Isabella's parents she had developmental and speech delays.
It was likely that Isabella did not receive the stimulatio...
In November 2008, 2-year-old Curran started treatment for a language delay. When he started treatment, he was nonverbal and communicated only by using hand gestures and vocalizations. The speech-language pathologist suggested Curran’s family encourage English as his primary language, and after pr...
Kara Beatty was on her way to summer school at a community college when a truck ran a red light and T-boned her car. She lost consciousness, and emergency responders had to use the “jaws of life” to free her from the wreckage. She remained in a coma for three days in the Neurotrauma ICU, with a m...
On September 15, 2007, McKenzy Winne was riding with two friends on the tailgate of a pickup truck. Suddenly and without warning, McKenzy was thrown from the tailgate. She tried to stand up, then collapsed in the street. After being flown to the Red Duke Trauma Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas...
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For the 35th consecutive year, TIRR Memorial Hermann is recognized as the best rehabilitation hospital in Texas and No. 2 in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report's "Best Rehabilitation Hospitals" in America.
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