Losing t
he ability to communicate well is one of the most devastating effects of a stroke. It was to me, when I had a stroke in 2002.
One day at the drugstore, shortly after my discharge from the hospital, the pharmacy clerk asked, “Is that Anne with an “e” or without?”
I hesitated, confused by the glaring fluorescent lights, the garish banners, the rows upon rows of remedies shelved in flashy cardboard boxes.
“Well, Don’t you know how to spell your own name?” she asked. A pimply teenaged boy in too-big jeans snickered in line behind me.
Heat crept up my neck. I wanted to disappear behind the shelf of diet aids–either that or slam them both over the head with a giant orange tub of fiber supplement.
Excerpt from A Stroke of Bad Luck and the Potholed Road to Recovery
After my stroke, I was lucky to have a good speech therapist, but the only “electronic aid” I had to draw on was a tape recorder.
How things have changed in ten years! Now there are a variety of tablet apps–most so far for the i-pad–that are getting good reviews from patients and therapists.
“Apple’s iPad has helped to make life much better for stroke patients whose speech has been impacted,” one hospital rep said recently.
If you or someone you know has had a stroke, you might want to look into them. I know I would.
Below are links to information and reviews on i-Pad communications apps.
- Stroke wise i-pad apps–reviews 22 i-pad apps that aid in speech, comprehension and dexterity.
- Using the iPad 2 in Stroke Recovery – My Family’s Experience
- Stroke Patients Rehabilitate with Fruit Ninja for iPad–This game may have the added advantage of helping patients improve dexterity
- Florida Hospital Oceanside uses iPad to Help with Speech Therapy–This you-tube video demonstrates one hospital’s use of Proloquo2Go, an award-winning Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) solution for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch for people who have difficulty speaking or cannot speak at all.
Have you used any i-pad apps to aid in stroke recovery?
Morgan Moe
Its amazing the impact technology can have on a patients life. I am currently developing an app for stroke survivors (StrokeLink) and people constantly tell me that the cost of an iPad is too much of a barrier, that patients just cant afford it!
Im surprised by this for two reasons; first that the iPad in comparison to the hundreds of other stroke-related expenses is relatively small and secondly the positive gains survivors can experience using the iPad is tremendous!
Apps now exist for all forms of therapy (PT, OT, SLP), augmentative communication, and for simply aiding in activities of daily life such as scheduling appointments and keeping in touch with friends and family!
I hope more survivors and family members can discover how iPads (or other tablets!) can help them with the road to recovery!
Shelley Rosenberg
This is a fantastic find – I am sending to dear friend in Cape Town, South Africa for his wife. Thanks for sharing
Anne Sigmon
Shelley, I’m glad you found it helpful.