We provide speech therapy online for children, adolescents and adults with neurodegenerative diseases.
We are a registered NDIS provider and use an inclusive approach to therapy, where the person can be in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.
How can speech therapy benefit people with neurodegenerative diseases?
Speech therapy can offer significant benefits to individuals with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and others. Here are several ways in which speech therapy can assist these individuals:
1. **Communication Skills**: Many neurodegenerative diseases can lead to difficulties with speech and language. Speech therapists work with patients to improve their articulation, vocabulary, and overall communication abilities. They may use various techniques and exercises to enhance clarity in speech.
2. **Swallowing Improvements**: Conditions like Parkinson’s disease can cause dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). Speech therapists are trained to assess swallowing disorders and can provide exercises and strategies to improve swallowing function, thus reducing the risk of choking and aspiration.
3. **Cognitive-Communication Support**: Neurodegenerative diseases can impact cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. Speech therapy can help develop cognitive-communication strategies to enhance patients’ ability to process information, remember important details, and maintain conversations.
4. **Quality of Life Enhancements**: Effective communication is crucial for social interactions and emotional well-being. By improving speech and language skills, speech therapy can help individuals engage more fully in conversations, maintain relationships, and feel more connected with others, thus enhancing their overall quality of life.
5. **Alternative Communication Methods**: For individuals who lose the ability to speak, speech therapists can introduce alternative and augmentative communication methods, such as communication boards, speech-generating devices, or apps that assist in expressing needs and thoughts.
6. **Education and Support for Caregivers**: Speech therapists often provide training and education to family members and caregivers, helping them understand how to communicate effectively with individuals with speech and language challenges. This support can make daily interactions smoother and more effective.
7. **Personalized Treatment Plans**: Speech therapy is tailored to each individual’s specific needs, abilities, and the progression of their disease. Therapists can create personalized goals and strategies that evolve over time as the individual’s condition changes.
8. **Preventative Strategies**: Engaging in speech therapy can help maintain communication abilities for as long as possible, potentially delaying more severe impairments that can occur with neurodegenerative diseases.
Overall, speech therapy can play a vital role in helping individuals with neurodegenerative diseases maintain their communication abilities, contributing to their well-being and dignity as they navigate their conditions.
Services for children, adolescents and adults
We have speech therapists who work with children, adolescents and adults, and we have therapists who have experience with neurodegenerative diseases. Read more about our therapists here.
NDIS registered provider
We are a registered NDIS provider and work with self-managed, plan-managed and agency-managed clients.
If your are an NDIS provider or support coordinator we can provide reliable speech therapy for clients with neurodegenerative diseases in any location. Refer a client and we’ll connect you to the right clinician.
Is online speech therapy effective?
Yes! A growing body of evidence shows that online delivery of therapy can be as effective as face to face. Online therapy has many other benefits too, including being convenient and accessible for people in regional and rural areas.
How does online speech therapy work?
At Umbo online therapy is not just zoom plus business-as-usual. It’s much more diverse than simply videoconferencing. Umbo therapists provide an individualised approach to each person, using the latest evidence, and a variety of technologies and engagement techniques.
Umbo champions person-centred therapy. It means the person and their family/support people leads the conversation. We believe that the most effective therapy occurs when support is given in the environment where the person lives, learns, works or plays. Therefore we work with the family, and teach skills to you or to other supporters. This means you’re achieving real-life goals, rather than just achieving goals in a clinic.
We are a certified social enterprise helping Australian families access allied health services.