Almost 800,000 people a year suffer a new or recurrent stroke according to the American Heart Association.  While mortality is declining, stroke remains the leading cause of adult disability.  Prevailing wisdom has been that improvement from stroke-induced aphasia maximizes at one year post-incident.  However, a new study suggests quite the opposite.  All study participants were years after their initial stroke or TBI, and showed statistically significant language improvement directly attributable to their use of Constant Therapy  exercises at home. The results give scientific credence to what is intuitive: the more consistently and frequently a therapy is practiced, the more successful the outcome.  The study also noted a substantial co-improvement in cognitive tasks in patients using this app. Such assistive technologies allow the SLP to make better evidenced based clinical decisions and enable patients to extend their therapy beyond insurance-mandated guidelines.

The importance of patient compliance and participation in their care plan can not be overemphasized.  The state of the profession is such that the demand for speech pathologists is expected to rise by 19% until 2022.  But the sheer number of anticipated adult and pediatric stroke patients cited above, suggests that patient loads will remain burdensome, requiring clinicians to rely even further on caretakers and patients.  Apps like Constant Therapy share the burden of improvement between clinician and patient in ways that are potentially empowering to both. Could it be time for profession to award a specialty certification in stroke management/therapy, to ensure that the demand can be met?  Leave a comment on our Facebook page to let us know.  Are you a new or veteran SLP who wants to make a difference in stroke victims lives or want to advance your career with exciting new opportunities?  Call us today at 800 535 0076.