Treatment of Patients with Dysphagia Due to Cerebral Vascular Accident

Abstract

The clinical aspects of speech therapy for dysphasia caused by cerebral vascular accident are broad and encompass the acute, convalescence and chronic stages. For each stage therapy has its own focus and aims, but foremost are the preservation and improvement of function based on suitable checks.
For patients in the acute stage, the approach consists not only of avoiding aspiration pneumonia but also of helping in the recovery of consciousness with mental rehabilitation, in order to provide the patient with the necessary understanding and ability to facilitate recovery.
The convalescence stage is the main stage of rehabilitation. Many important therapies exist for this stage, and numerous speech therapists have hospital affiliations to treat this stage. Nowadays, it is not rare to meet patients who have changeable conditions of consciousness, and we must pay attention to the patient’s condition especially early in the therapy. For seriously affected patients who cannot be fed orally, we initially use indirect therapy, followed by direct therapy in tandem with their recovery.
For patients in the chronic stage, the role of speech therapists is to improve the patient’s condition and to support the patient and the patient’s family by ensuring a better quality of life. For this stage, today attention is focusing on improving oral function and nutrition, and cooperation with rehabilitation professionals is desirable.
This paper first outlines the speech therapist’s role in each of the abovementioned stages and then presents an actual case study of a patient in the recovery stage.