A Caregiver's Guide to Communication Problems from Brain Injury or Disease (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

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

Barbara O'Connor Wells (BOCA RATON, FL) is an associate professor of speech-language pathology at Nova Southeastern University.

Connie K. Porcaro (CORAL SPRINGS, FL) is an associate professor of communication sciences and disorders at Florida Atlantic University.