Mr. Bell lives with us at Terra Bella Health and Wellness Suites. He survived a major stroke that left him unable to swallow, requiring a feeding tube and unable to speak. Mr. Bell was referred to speech therapy with a main goal of wanting to eat his favorite foods again. Elsa, our speech language pathologist, began intensive dysphagia intervention tailored to Mr. Bell’s personal goals. His therapy sessions included VitalStim, a device that provides neuromuscular electrical stimulation to improve his ability to safely eat again.
Mr. Bell’s self-motivation and consistent progression in therapy helped him achieve his goals and aided in the removal of his feeding tube. He is now safely able to eat by mouth again and enjoys eating snacks, especially desserts. His gains in therapy have facilitated improvements in his overall quality of life.
Congrats to Mr. Bell on his success in speech therapy!