Video Transcript

Hello, my name is Odelia Mirzadeh, and I'm the co-founder of Innovative

Speech and Language Pathology. Today, I will be discussing how to do facial
exercises for stroke patients. Stroke refers to the interruption of blood supply
to the brain. The stroke symptoms have to do with what the region of the
brain having damaged and therefore, the associated nerves controlling each
muscle group. It is important to find out which muscle groups are affected.
Because it would directly affect the patient with a speech projection and their
swallowing. If they have a weak jaw, then they will not be able to chew their
food correctly, which will cause them to perhaps aspirate and have
pneumonia thereafter. If they're drooling, if their lips are not as strong and
they have lost their strength, then they will be drooling a lot. And again, they
can have drooling of food aside from their saliva. And if their tongue is
affected again it affects their swallowing, because it affects with the, it helps
with the chewing and propelling the food, the bolus back into their throat. It
helps with swallowing directly. Therefore, it is very crucial to know what
muscle structures have been affected, not only for their swallowing but rather
for their speech production. If their jaw is not working as accurately, then
their speech can be muffled or they can have a very un..difficult to to
understand speech. If their lips aren't working as effectively, if they can't
round their lips, or if they effective labial closure, their sounds, their speech
sounds will be affected, as in the words such as one, or wonder, or mm,
mother or ba, back, and so forth. If their tongue is affected, the sounds that
affect the tongue such as the front producing sounds such as the ta sound or
the da, or the na sound will be affected, or even the ss or the sh sounds, or
the further back sounds, such as the ka and the ga, or the ng as in ring will
be affected. It is important to do facial exercise with these clients, to help
them restore or help with the strengthening of the muscle groups, to help
them with their swallowing as well as their speech production. Some tools
that may be used may be facial messages, or the use of horns.They use a
straw, drinking, they use a bubble blowing and the use of bite blocks to help
with drug rating, as well as other methods to help with placement and the
direct touch of each muscle group and the sounds. It is very important for the
patient with stroke, to see a special language pathologist, after being seen by
a physician to help and assist them with their swallowing as well as their
speech projection. And that's why the methods and exercises for all motor
structures and facial technique exercises come in handy.