The Speech Therapy Clinics

The Etgar Center

The Etgar Center (the Aphasia Center for Speech Therapy using the Social Approach) offers treatment for people suffering from aphasia – an acquired disorder in language as a result of a neurological injury to the linguistic centers of the brain (CVA, traumatic brain injury etc). Aphasia causes complete or partial loss of the ability to use all the language channels – expression and comprehension of a spoken language and expression and comprehension of written language. As a result there is significant damage to the communication of that same individual with his environment.

Patients: Individuals suffering from aphasia suffering from an injury of one year at least, who have been left with a significant difficulty in communications

Treatments: The objective of the treatments at the center is to improve the communication abilities with the environment.

Group therapy: The treatment is given by a speech therapist, when the group is comprised of people with similar abilities. Over and above the group therapy being a meeting place with a peer group and a source of support, it encourages acquisition of communication and pragmatic skills which enable communication with a range of communication partners and contributes to the communication and psychosocial functioning of the individual with aphasia.

Individual therapy: Treatment that is focussed on the needs of the patient with the objective of improving his communication skills. The focus is on communication and on a range of methods to achieve it – verbal tools, alternative means of communication (iPads, boards and so forth) and non-verbal tools (drawing, use of gestures).

Family group: The group is facilitated by a speech therapist and a social worker specializing in group facilitation. The objective of the group is training and support for the family regarding people with aphasia.

Speech Therapy Clinic

Patients: People with aphasia who still require linguistic and communications therapy who are not in a hospitalization framework.

Treatments: The treatments are individual with the objective of improving the impairment and improving the communication skills.

Patients: People with dysarthria – suffering from a difficulty in speech on a motor/technical basis (weakness of the speech organs, difficulties in coordination, spasticity and so forth) which is expressed by problems in pronunciation and voice without linguistic difficulties.

Treatment: The treatments are individual and their objective is to improve the quality of speech and voice.

Patients: People with voice disorders (hoarseness). The clinic is designed for people with a voice disorder for diverse reasons, neurological and others (warts, weakness and functional disorders).

Treatment: Acquisition of methods to maintain the voice and improve its quality.

The Bell’s Palsy Clinic

Patients with paralysis or weakness of the facial nerve as a result of CVA, head injuries or peripheral damage to the auditory nerve

Patients: People suffering from Bell’s Palsy.

Treatments: the objective of the treatments is to strengthen the damaged muscles, to return as far as possible the facial symmetry and to reduce as far as possible the difficulties that could accompany Bell’s Palsy – inaccuracy of pronunciation and mild difficulty with eating/chewing.

The Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Clinic

Patients: People with a developmental or acquired dyslexia and/or dysgraphia disorder.

Treatments: The clinic team assesses the nature of the difficulty in reading and/or writing and provides a treatment solution pursuant to the nature of the problem.

The Swallowing Clinic

Patients: People with acquired swallowing disorders (as a result of brain damage).

Treatments: Assessment of the swallowing mechanism, clinical examinations without instrumentation, endoscopic examination (FEES) of the swallowing system.

After investigation of the quality of the difficulty treatment can be given the objective of this is to improve the swallowing function for the purpose of being able to eat properly as far as possible.

If necessary it is also possible to receive nutritional consultation from the Dietary Unit.

The social approach to treatment for aphasia

When you have no strength to eat – a swallowing disorder due to sarcopenia