Browsing by Subject "speech therapy"

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    Clinical Outcomes Associated with Speech, Language and Swallowing Difficulties Post-Stroke – A Prospective Cohort Study
    (2022) Kaylor, Stephanie Anne; Singh, Shajila
    Background: Due to a lack of prospective research in South Africa's Speech-Language Therapy (SLT) private healthcare sector, this prospective cohort study investigated associations between speech, language, and swallowing conditions (i.e. dysarthria, apraxia of speech, aphasia, dysphagia), risk factors, and outcomes post-stroke (i.e. length of hospital stay, degree of physical disability according to the Modified Rankin Scale [mRS], functional level of oral intake according to the Functional Oral Intake Scale [FOIS], dehydration, weight loss, aspiration pneumonia, mortality). Methods: Adults with a new incident of stroke without pre-existing speech, language or swallowing difficulties (N=68) were recruited. Convenience sampling was used to select participants. A prospective design was used to determine the incidence of speech, language, and swallowing conditions poststroke and association with outcomes from admission to discharge. Results: Co-occurring speech, language, and swallowing conditions frequently occurred post-stroke (88%). Participants who were referred to SLT greater than 24 hours post-admission (52.94%) stayed in hospital for a median of three days longer than those who were referred within 24 hours (p=.042). Dysphagia was significantly associated with moderate to severe physical disability. Dysphagia with aspiration was significantly associated with poor functional level of oral intake (i.e. altered consistency diets and enteral nutrition), at admission and at discharge (p<. 01). Dysphagia had a higher likelihood of mortality (OR=2.86) (p=.319). At discharge, aspiration pneumonia was significantly associated with severe physical disability (p< .01, r=0.70). Risk factors; poor oral hygiene (p=1.00), low level of consciousness (p=1.00), dependent for oral intake (p=.040), and enteral nutrition (p=.257); were not associated with aspiration pneumonia. Conclusion: In South Africa's private sector, cooccurring speech, language, and swallowing conditions commonly occurred post-stroke, and dysphagia was strongly associated with physical disability and poor functional level of oral intake. Length of hospital stay was increased by delayed SLT referrals.
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    Education for All Week 4 - A careworker's perspective
    (2018-06-01) Jacobs, Louisa
    In this video, Louisa Jacobs discusses her role as a rehabilitation careworker at St Joseph's Children's Home. She discusses how rehabilitation workers provides links between children, parents and the health system. She discusses some of the practical aspects of her work, such as providing physical and occupational therapy, providing transportation services, and providing links between different kinds of health service providers (such as speech and occupational therapists, doctors, and patients), financial support through feeding programmes and food parcel services, and community services such as churches and the police.