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Adult and Senior Care

We offer comprehensive speech-language therapy services tailored to the unique needs of adults across the lifespan. Whether you're recovering from a stroke, managing a progressive neurological condition, or experiencing changes in communication or swallowing due to aging, our goal is to help you maintain independence and improve your quality of life. Therapy may focus on speech clarity, voice, memory, attention, problem-solving, or safe swallowing strategies. We also provide education and support to families and caregivers to promote carryover and understanding at home.Services are conveniently delivered in a variety of settings, including private homes, assisted living residences, and long-term care facilities. We also offer virtual sessions when appropriate. In addition to direct therapy, we provide caregiver and staff education to support carryover of strategies and ensure a collaborative approach to care.​

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Dysphagia

Understanding Swallowing Difficulties

Dysphagia refers to difficulty swallowing and can affect the ability to safely eat or drink. It may involve challenges with liquids, solids, or both, and can result from a range of conditions — including stroke, brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases, dementia, cancer treatments, respiratory illnesses like COPD, or age-related changes.

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Swallowing therapy is often effective in improving safety and comfort. Strategies may include modifying food textures, practicing targeted exercises, adjusting posture during meals, and working collaboratively with your healthcare team.

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You may benefit from a swallowing assessment if you experience:

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  • Coughing, choking, or throat clearing while eating or drinking
     

  • Difficulty chewing or moving food around in your mouth
     

  • The feeling of food getting stuck or discomfort when swallowing
     

  • A gurgly, wet-sounding voice
     

  • Unexplained weight loss or food avoidance
     

  • Recurrent chest infections or pneumonia
     

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, speech therapy can help support safer swallowing and improve quality of life.

Parkinson’s Disease

Speech and Swallowing in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease can gradually impact both speech and swallowing, making everyday communication more challenging. Common changes include a soft or monotone voice, slurred or mumbled speech, altered speaking rate, and reduced facial expression. Over time, swallowing difficulties may also emerge.

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The encouraging news is that evidence-based therapy programs, such as SPEAK OUT!® and LSVT LOUD®, are designed to address these symptoms and support clearer communication, stronger vocal output, and safer swallowing.

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Speech therapy can be helpful at any stage of Parkinson’s — even early on — to maintain independence, preserve function, and enhance day-to-day interactions.

Voice

Understanding Voice Changes

Voice disorders can affect how your voice sounds, how it feels to speak, or how much effort speaking requires. Changes in vocal quality, pitch, or loudness may be caused by inefficient voice use, acid reflux, neurological conditions, or structural concerns such as nodules, polyps, or cysts.

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Voice therapy can be helpful if you notice:

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  • Vocal fatigue, tightness, or discomfort while speaking
     

  • Frequent throat clearing or coughing
     

  • Hoarseness, breathiness, or strained vocal quality
     

  • A partial or complete loss of voice
     

  • Interest in gender-affirming voice care
     

Before starting therapy, an evaluation by an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physician is typically recommended to help rule out any medical concerns and support a tailored treatment approach.

Aphasia

Understanding Communication Changes After Stroke Brain Injury

Aphasia is a language disorder that affects a person’s ability to understand or use words. It may cause challenges with speaking, understanding, reading, or writing — often after a stroke, brain injury, or in the context of neurological conditions such as dementia.

It’s important to know that aphasia does not affect intelligence. Rather, it affects the brain’s language pathways.

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You may benefit from therapy if you experience:

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  • Difficulty finding or organizing your words
     

  • Effortful, hesitant, or incomplete speech
     

  • Saying incorrect or “nonsense” words by mistake
     

  • Trouble understanding spoken or written language
     

  • Challenges writing sentences or naming objects
     

Speech-language therapy focuses on rebuilding communication skills and supporting meaningful conversations in daily life.

Dysarthria

Understanding Slurred or Weak Speech

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder caused by weakness or reduced coordination of the muscles used for speaking. It can result in slurred, mumbled, or unclear speech and may be associated with stroke, brain injury, neurological conditions, or structural changes to the mouth or vocal mechanism.

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Speech therapy can help improve speech clarity and boost confidence by addressing:

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  • Difficulty being understood by others
     

  • Slurred or uneven speech
     

  • Speaking too fast or too slowly
     

  • Voice sounding overly nasal or lacking resonance
     

  • Vocal weakness, hoarseness, or strain
     

  • Difficulty breathing while speaking
     

If any of these symptoms apply to you, speech therapy can offer targeted strategies to improve your communication.

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