Stroke victim's journey to regain spoken language
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Life After a Stroke: A Bremen Woman's Journey with a Speech Tablet
Carina Moth-Maron's life took an unexpected turn six years ago. Discover how the Lilienthal Diakonie and a speech tablet helped her navigate her new reality.
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A focused glint in her eyes, Carina carefully plucks beans, stacking them in a small bowl. "For the lemon or sage butter sauce today?", asks Marco Behrens, an employee of Lilienthal Diakonie. With a decisive nod and a bright smile, Carina communicates her choice - the first option.
Communication through Mimicry and Gestures
In spite of her inability to verbally express herself, Carina, now 45, understands perfectly. Her limited vocabulary consists of "yes" and "no" in various tones and a few other individual words. She communicates with others through gestures, facial expressions, and her hands.
Since several months, she's been using a tablet to aid her communication. " Ever since the stroke six years ago, I've been struggling with aphasia, a speech disorder. This device is my lifeline.", it reads from her tablet, the result of carefully selected digital building blocks. These blocks include introduction sentences, expressions of needs, and reports of feelings, personalized with sentences and images.
Lost Language After a Stroke
"Before, I used to take care of the sheep. Regrettably that isn't possible now", she expresses, facilitated by the tablet. At home in Lower Saxony, Lunestedt, she lives with her husband Marcel Maron and four sheep. "I studied cultural sciences, business administration, and vocational pedagogy", Moth-Maron recalls. Afterward, she worked in human resources. What she enjoyed most: "Ballet". And Moth-Maron articulates this word clearly and confidently.
Her routine has changed dramatically since her stroke. After a lengthy hospital stay, she returned home, unable to speak. "That was incredibly tough. We've been together for over 20 years, so I can still understand her on a human level", Marcel shares proudly.
Many Technical Aids Support Communication
At the Lilienthal Diakonie, Carina benefits from speech and movement therapies, culinary and craft sessions, and interactions with fellow stroke survivors. At the Diakonie fair, various communication aids were demonstrated, including tablet-based and eye-controlled devices, buzzers, connected devices like ventilators and light controllers, and communication cards with printed symbols. The choice of tools depends on the client's needs and abilities.
Independence through Assisted Communication
Assisted communication (AC) instills a sense of independence. Even the smallest accomplishments are significant for clients, explains Sandra Fillerfang, AC expert at the Lilienthal Diakonie. "We don't want someone else making decisions for us - turn off the TV, or the light." People realize they can do things independently and not rely on others.
Fillerfang shares a heartwarming story of a woman in a wheelchair who couldn't do things alone. Now she can control music using eye control, bringing joy and brightening her eyes. "Assisted communication makes lives more meaningful, as people can participate more actively."
Speech Improvement through Tablet Use
Carina can express herself more effectively with her assistive tablet. Despite initial resistance, she's been using it for six months. "We've noticed a clear improvement in her word understanding, speech production, and her ability to communicate with others", Marcel reports. Together with speech therapy, Carina inchs closer to her ultimate goal: speaking on her own again.
Further Reading:
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- The science of communication aids has evolved significantly, offering a variety of solutions for individuals with speech disorders.
- Technology, such as speech tablets, plays a crucial role in improving workplace-wellness for people living with medical conditions like aphasia.
- Carina Moth-Maron, once a ballet enthusiast, now communicates with digital building blocks on her speech tablet.
- Using a tablet, Carina expresses her choice between lemon and sage butter sauce, demonstrating her understanding of food-and-drink options.
- Lunestedt, her home in Lower Saxony, harbors her husband Marcel Maron and four sheep, but Carina can no longer care for them due to her neurological disorders.
- Carina's education encompassed cultural sciences, business administration, and vocational pedagogy before she delved into career-development opportunities in human resources.
- A lengthy hospital stay ensued after her stroke, followed by a challenging period of readjustment to her new reality.
- Sandra Fillerfang, an AC expert at the Lilienthal Diakonie, highlights the importance of empowering clients with independent decision-making capabilities through the use of therapies-and-treatments like assisted communication.
- A woman in a wheelchair, once reliant on others, now utilizes eye control to manage her music, thanks to the benefits of assisted communication.
- Overcoming technical challenges and embracing new innovations is an integral part of sustainable-living for people with non-fatal medical conditions.
- Job-search platforms can help stroke survivors find employment that supports their health-and-wellness needs.
- Learning about various communication aids, such as digital tablets and eye-controlled devices, at the Diakonie fair opens up new possibilities for individuals with hearing and respiratory conditions.
- Therapies for speech and movement, offered at establishments like the Lilienthal Diakonie, help improve life-after-a-stroke for both the survivor and their family-dynamics.
- Lifestyle changes like fitness-and-exercise and mental-health self-care are essential for the overall health-and-wellness of stroke survivors.
- Eye-health is an important aspect of wellbeing, and tools like eye-controlled devices aid those with limited mobility in daily tasks and interactions.
- Recipes featuring nutrient-rich foods can boost the cardiovascular-health of individuals living with neurological disorders.
- Skin care is crucial for maintaining a healthy appearance and preventing skin-conditions for people in the early stages of recovery.
- Attending culinary and craft sessions helps foster a sense of belonging and support within stroke survivor communities.
- Luxury gadgets and smartphones can provide enhanced communication opportunities for those with varying hearing and eye-health abilities.
- Home-improvement can provide a better living environment for stroke survivors, including outdoor-living spaces that promote relaxation and healing.
- Interior design plays a significant role in creating welcoming and accessible environments for family living, especially during the recovery process.
