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Speech Language Therapy - Inpatients | Waitematā

Public Service, Allied Health, Speech Language Therapy

Today

7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Description

What is Speech-Language Therapy?

Speech-language therapy involves the diagnosis, treatment, and management of communication and swallowing problems.

Speech-language therapists (SLTs) within inpatients are professionals who work closely with patients, families/whānau, and other health professionals (such as doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and dietitians) to assess, diagnose, and manage/rehabilitate communication and swallowing problems across all ages in the hospital wards. SLTs at Health New Zealand-Te Whatu Ora - Waitematā also work closely with SLTs in rehabilitation facilities, in the community and other hospitals to ensure seamless SLT treatment and management.

Conditions that may lead to communication and/or swallowing problems in adults include:

  • stroke
  • brain injury
  • degenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease, dementia, and motor-neurone disease
  • respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and recurrent pneumonia
  • cancer of the head, neck, throat, and brain

Swallowing problems in adults can also result from general frailty, deconditioning and age related changes.

Speech-language therapists at Te Whatu Ora - Waitematā also see:

Referral Expectations

Referrals to the inpatient SLT team are made by health professionals working with patients while they are in hospital. If patients or families /whānau have concerns about communication or swallowing, please speak to your doctor or nurse about getting a referral.

Hours

7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Mon – Fri 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Common Conditions

Aphasia

Aphasia (also refered to as dysphasia) is a disorder of language, where a person's ability to use language to communicate is impaired in some way. Language functions which may be affected include talking, understanding, listening, writing, or doing mathematical calculations. Aphasia may occur after a brain injury (e.g. stroke), particularly if the brain injury affects the left side of the brain. Expressive Aphasia Expressive aphasia is a difficulty in putting words together to form a meaningful message. This may include such difficulties as: trouble thinking of specific words and names, difficulty putting words together into a sentence to describe ideas or thoughts, tending to repeat words, saying words that do not make sense, and difficulty writing words and sentences. The severity of these difficulties varies considerably for each person. Receptive Aphasia Receptive aphasia is a difficulty in comprehension of language, where the person cannot attach meaning to incoming words they hear or read. This difficulty can be especially noticable if a person is tired, or when the conversation is complex.

Service types: Speech language therapy, Traumatic brain injury (TBI), Post-stroke, Development reading/ writing disorders, Hearing impairment.

Aphasia (also refered to as dysphasia) is a disorder of language, where a person's ability to use language to communicate is impaired in some way. Language functions which may be affected include talking, understanding, listening, writing, or doing mathematical calculations. Aphasia may occur after a brain injury (e.g. stroke), particularly if the brain injury affects the left side of the brain.


Expressive Aphasia
Expressive aphasia is a difficulty in putting words together to form a meaningful message. This may include such difficulties as: trouble thinking of specific words and names, difficulty putting words together into a sentence to describe ideas or thoughts, tending to repeat words, saying words that do not make sense, and difficulty writing words and sentences. The severity of these difficulties varies considerably for each person.


Receptive Aphasia
Receptive aphasia is a difficulty in comprehension of language, where the person cannot attach meaning to incoming words they hear or read. This difficulty can be especially noticable if a person is tired, or when the conversation is complex.

Apraxia

Apraxia is a disorder of speech (speech is the process of pronunciation and articulation) in which the difficulty involves planning, sequencing, and producing the movements required to make sounds and words. Verbal apraxia in particular refers to the ability to programme the lips and tongue in order to make muscle movements for speech, whereas oral apraxia refers to nonspeech movements of the lips and tongue such as blowing and puckering the lips. Apraxia therefore is often described as a problem with making the voluntary movements necessary for speech.

Service types: Speech language therapy.

Apraxia is a disorder of speech (speech is the process of pronunciation and articulation) in which the difficulty involves planning, sequencing, and producing the movements required to make sounds and words.

Verbal apraxia in particular refers to the ability to programme the lips and tongue in order to make muscle movements for speech, whereas oral apraxia refers to nonspeech movements of the lips and tongue such as blowing and puckering the lips. Apraxia therefore is often described as a problem with making the voluntary movements necessary for speech.

Dysarthria

Dysarthria is a disorder of speech (speech is the process of pronunciation and articulation). After a brain injury (such as stroke, or a progressive neurological condition such as Parkinson's Disease or Huntington's Disease), the muscles of the mouth, face, voice box and respiratory system may become weak, move slowly or move differently, or not move at all. The speech condition that results is called dysarthria. The type and severity of dysarthria depends on the type of brain damage. Symptoms of dysarthria may include slurred sounding speech, a slow rate of speech, breathiness, drooling or poor control of saliva, and limited tongue, lip, and jaw movement.

Service types: Speech language therapy, Post-stroke, Traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Dysarthria is a disorder of speech (speech is the process of pronunciation and articulation). After a brain injury (such as stroke, or a progressive neurological condition such as Parkinson's Disease or Huntington's Disease), the muscles of the mouth, face, voice box and respiratory system may become weak, move slowly or move differently, or not move at all. The speech condition that results is called dysarthria.

The type and severity of dysarthria depends on the type of brain damage. Symptoms of dysarthria may include slurred sounding speech, a slow rate of speech, breathiness, drooling or poor control of saliva, and limited tongue, lip, and jaw movement.

Dysphagia

Dysphagia is any problem in which the action of swallowing is either difficult to perform, painful, or swallowed material is disrupted somewhere in the passage from the mouth to the stomach. Dysphagia may be caused by an anatomical problem (e.g. cancer) or a neurological problem (e.g. after a stroke). Dysphagia may also occur as a result of impaired control of swallowing for other reasons (e.g. as a result of breathing difficulties, or when a patient is very frail).

Service types: Speech language therapy, Swallowing difficulties, Post-stroke, Traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Dysphagia is any problem in which the action of swallowing is either difficult to perform, painful, or swallowed material is disrupted somewhere in the passage from the mouth to the stomach. Dysphagia may be caused by an anatomical problem (e.g. cancer) or a neurological problem (e.g. after a stroke). Dysphagia may also occur as a result of impaired control of swallowing for other reasons (e.g. as a result of breathing difficulties, or when a patient is very frail).

Contact Details

Waitakere Hospital

West Auckland

7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Speech-Language Therapy Services are provided at:

North Shore Hospital
Phone: (09) 486 1491 ext 42827

and

Waitakere Hospital
Phone: (09) 839 0000 ext 46492


Staff Contact Details:
Becca Hammond (Professional & Clinical Leader)

021 223 8132

Waitakere Hospital
55 Lincoln Road
Henderson
Waitakere
0650

Information about this location

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Street Address

Waitakere Hospital
55 Lincoln Road
Henderson
Waitakere
0650

Postal Address

North Shore Hospital
Private Bag 93 503
Takapuna
North Shore City 0740

This page was last updated at 12:41PM on July 9, 2024. This information is reviewed and edited by Speech Language Therapy - Inpatients | Waitematā.