Hamayal 
The signs of swallowing difficulties in adults include coughing or choking when eating or drinking, a wet or gurgly voice after swallowing, food sticking in the throat or collecting in the cheeks, and meals that take a long time. Over time there may also be repeated chest infections, avoiding certain foods, eating less, or losing … Read more
Dysphagia is the professional word for swallowing difficulties: it means that food, drink or saliva does not travel safely or smoothly from the mouth to the stomach. It can happen at any age and for many different reasons, and it is not something a person simply has to put up with. An assessment by a … Read more
Dysarthria and apraxia of speech can both make speech hard to understand after a stroke or brain injury, but they happen for different reasons. In dysarthria, the muscles used for speaking are weak, slow or poorly coordinated, so speech comes out slurred in much the same way every time. In apraxia of speech, the muscles … Read more
After a stroke, the muscles used for speaking — the lips, tongue, jaw, voice box and breathing muscles — can become weak, slow or poorly coordinated. This difficulty is called dysarthria, and it means speech may sound slurred, slow, quiet or strained. The person usually knows exactly what they want to say; it is the … Read more
Motor speech disorders are difficulties with planning or physically producing speech that happen when the brain or nerves are affected. In dysarthria, the muscles used for speaking are weak, slow or poorly coordinated, so speech can sound slurred or unclear. In apraxia of speech, the muscles themselves can work, but the brain’s planning of speech … Read more
Memory Problems After Stroke: How Families Can Help at Home Many families notice memory problems after stroke; they often affect new learning and recent events more than long-ago memories. They link closely with attention: information not taken in properly is very hard to recall later. Families help most not by testing memory, but by building … Read more
Signs of Cognitive-Communication Problems After Brain Injury The signs of cognitive-communication problems after brain injury usually show up in conversation and daily life rather than in single words. A person may lose the thread of what they were saying, talk over others or drift off-topic, forget what was just discussed, or find planning and organising … Read more
Cognitive-Communication Difficulties After Stroke and Brain Injury: A Complete Guide for Families Cognitive-communication difficulties are problems with the thinking skills that communication depends on — attention, memory, organisation, problem-solving and social judgement — after a stroke or brain injury. A person’s words and sentences may sound fine, yet conversations, planning everyday tasks and joining in … Read more
A person with aphasia is the same intelligent adult they have always been — aphasia affects language, not intelligence, personality or opinions. Conversation works best when you allow plenty of time, share one idea at a time, and support words with gestures, drawing and written key words. With patience on both sides, real conversation is … Read more
The types of aphasia are patterns, named according to how a person’s speaking and understanding are affected. Some people speak in short, effortful phrases but understand a great deal; others speak fluently yet find understanding harder. The labels help professionals describe the pattern they see — but every person’s aphasia is individual, and no label … Read more