Main description:

An all-in-one guide for helping caregivers of individuals with brain injury or degenerative disease to address speech, language, voice, memory, and swallowing impairment and to distinguish these problem areas from healthy aging.

Advances in science mean that people are more likely to survive a stroke or live for many years after being diagnosed with a degenerative disease such as Parkinson's. But the communication deficits that often accompany a brain injury or chronic neurologic condition-including problems with speech, language, voice, memory, and/or swallowing-can severely impact quality of life.

If you are a caregiver coping with these challenges, this all-in-one book can help you and your loved one. Written by a team of experts in speech-language pathology, each chapter focuses on a different aspect of caregiving and features relatable patient examples. Providing answers to common questions, definitions of complex medical terms, and lists of helpful resources, this book also:

* touches on expected, age-related changes in communication, memory, swallowing, and hearing abilities, to name a few
* offers practical strategies for caregivers to cope with speech, language, and voice problems and to maximize their loved one's ability to communicate
* reveals how caregivers can assist their loved ones with swallowing challenges to maintain good nutrition and hydration
* provides crucial information on how caregivers can handle grief and take care of themselves during the caregiving process
* explains how to incorporate the arts, as well as a loved one's hobbies and interests, into their communication or memory recovery

This comprehensive book will allow readers to take a more informed and active role in their loved one's care.

Contributors: Marissa Barrera, Frederick DiCarlo, Lea Kaploun, Elizabeth Roberts, Teresa Signorelli Pisano

Contents:

List of Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Barbara O'Connor Wells and Connie K. Porcaro
Chapter 1. What's Her Name and Where Are My Glasses? The Ironies of Healthy Aging
Teresa Signorelli Pisano
Chapter 2. Communication Is a Two-Way Street: Understanding and Coping with Unclear Speech
Connie K. Porcaro
Chapter 3. An Owner's Guide to a Healthy Voice
Connie K. Porcaro
Chapter 4. A Tough Pill to Swallow: Maintaining Good Nutrition When Swallowing Is Difficult
Barbara O'Connor Wells and Marissa A. Barrera
Chapter 5. Are We Speaking the Same Language? Coping with Aphasia and Communication Challenges
Barbara O'Connor Wells
Chapter 6. Another Senior Moment, or Is It Something Else? Communicating with Those Who Have Dementia
Elizabeth Roberts
Chapter 7. Coping and Caring for Your Loved One and Yourself
Lea Kaploun
Chapter 8. Using the Arts to Improve Communication and Quality of Life
Frederick DiCarlo
About the Editors
Appendix A. Voice Illustration
Appendix B. Alphabet Board Example
Appendix C. Swallowing Illustration
Appendix D. Brain Illustration
Index