The best therapy is centered around functional activities that the client already participates in (or would like to). A few days ago I client with dementia and I went on a walk around her neighborhood. We looked at signs of businesses (such as the one pictured here) and talked about what the business does, when they are open and closed, how she would contact them, and whether or not they were open at the time that we were visiting. It was a great task that allowed us to be reap the benefits of sunshine, movement, language, and her naturalistic environment.
Other functional tasks may include ordering a pizza over the telephone, sending a text message, practicing saying comments for church services, sorting laundry, or entering contacts into one’s cell phone and practicing calling specific contacts. Some of my clients write checks to pay their bills–the practice of writing and signing a check is an excellent therapy task, as long as it is something that person does. A couple of my clients play Bingo at the Senior Center; if playing games is something that is relevant to the person’s lifestyle, it can be an effective task in therapy.
If you would like learn more about our services at Live Well Speech Therapy, e-mail us at jackie@livewellspeechtherapy.com or text or call me at (801) 420-4083. We take most insurances as well as private pay. We are conveniently located in Provo at 3210 N. Canyon Road, Suite 204.
