The 6th lecture of a series of lectures organized by the ARCL regional board health committee took place on Wednesday, February 6, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. with the subject “Means to Restore Speech After Brain Stroke.”
After listening to the ARS march, and after the opening word of the ARCL Regional Board Health Committee, speech therapist Shaghig Gogonian Chamichian was invited to deliver her lecture. The lecturer talked about the role of the speech therapist and that she works with people of all ages who have difficulties in communicating whether orally or in writing, and with different skills such as memory and concentration, also with those who have dyslexia and autism and in the case of the elderly those who faced brain stroke.
Then Shaghig Gogonian-Chamichyan talked about the consequences of brain stroke, especially speech difficulty as a result of stroke. Afterwards, she listed the probabilities that could cause a stroke such as: high blood pressure, smoking, lack of movement, high level of cholesterol, and happens to people with heart problems who consume too much alcohol. People over 65 are more susceptible to brain strokes.
Those who have had brain stroke before, face the risk of suffering it again. In order to prevent a stroke, it is necessary to take precautionary measures, such as taking care of the blood pressure, preventing smoking, drinking in moderation, losing weight, treating diabetes, exercising, having proper nutrition, trying to avoid all types of diseases, and taking the prescribed medications by the physician. Then she said that there are two types of brain stroke: the first results when a blood clot causes a reduction in blood flow in the brain and the second stroke results from bleeding inside the brain.
After that she listed the symptoms of brain stroke, which are: paralysis or numbness in one side or part of the body, facial paralysis on one side of the face, difficulty in reading and speaking, strong headache, weak vision, difficulty in walking. She presented the four steps that should be followed by the people around the person who is suffering brain stroke in a figurative way. In case of brain stroke, first the patient should be asked to smile if he is not able to smile then he is having a stroke, second the arms should be lifted, third if the patient is not able to utter word or his name, forth he should urgently be taken to a hospital in order to avoid further complications. He shouldn’t be transported to the hospital by personal means but by an ambulance, shouldn’t be given food or drink, shouldn’t wait, but measures should be taken quickly. What are the consequences of the brain stroke on the body? The function of the muscles will change, they either become weak or paralyzed all together, however, the physiotherapist can return them to their normal state through certain physical exercises. The patient may also have: Dysarthria where the facial muscles do not function properly and that leads to a difficult or unclear articulation of speech, Apraxia where the patient has difficulty making movements of the mouth. The individual may also have the difficulty to swallow food, there also may be mood changes. As for the mental ability, the inability to articulate speech doesn’t mean that the individual has lost his mental ability. The person with Aphasia loses ability to express. Sometimes when a person has difficulty to speak may also have difficulty to understand. The individual may also lose the ability to read or write. The speech therapist tries to correct these impediments then agrees with the family to develop certain skills. Certain difficulties are vanquished in the following ways, such as: seeking the help of a speech therapist, working with physiotherapist, performing individual mental activities, writing a diary, having a daily planned program, writing and reading, often going outdoors, cooking, listening to music, praying, doing manual work. In case of speech therapy all of the above mentioned points are included.
In the last section of the lecture, the lecturer talked about the end result of the work of the speech therapist and said that there are many factors that affect the healing process, such as age, self-education, and intelligence. The way the society treats the patient is very important. During communication we should always keep looking at the patient direct in the eyes, speak loudly, use short words, speak slowly, give the patient time to express if the he is not able to respond instantly, encourage the patient to write, and in case of incorrect expression not to scold the patient. In the event of difficulty in swallowing there may be some complications like food being inhaled into the lungs. There are certain techniques for swallowing such as changing the kind and the temperature of the food. Before using artificial methods of feeding, basic methods should be tried. Patients with Aphasia are not invisible. We should include them in our conversations because they have lost their abilities involuntarily.
At the end of the lecture the audience asked questions to the lecturer. Then in the name of the heath committee, a souvenir was given to the Lecturer of the day Shaghig Gogonian Chamichian.
Last but not least Sarin Shegian talked about “The International Day of Cancer which coincides in February”.
