Did you know that stroke is the third leading cause of death in Ontario? Each year, nearly 6,000 Ontarians die from stroke.

This serious neurological event results in:

• 22,000 stroke-related visits to Ontario emergency departments
• 15,300 inpatient admissions
• 90,000+ living with the effects of stroke

One of the major side effects of stroke is the inability to talk. However, there are other ways to communicate! Here are some tips:

• Speak to the person directly   
• Acknowledge their frustrations and fears
• Making your messages clear using simple language and adult content
• Use hand gestures, pictures, or drawings to help with understanding                
• Write down words to help with key points of the conversation
• Ask “yes/no” questions for most accurate responses
• Ask one question at a time
• Check that you have understood the person correctly
• Engage the help of a Speech Language Pathologist; SLPs assess the nature of the communication disability and help develop communication strategies specifically designed to meet your situation

Saint Elizabeth is an award-winning not-for-profit and charitable organization. Our team of more than 6500 nurses, rehab therapists, personal support workers and crisis intervention staff deliver nearly five million health care visits annually.

Tags: Saint Elizabeth, SLP, Speech Language Pathologist, stroke