“I would tell anyone with aphasia to get all the therapy that they could get — and to absolutely get a Lingraphica device. Having it makes me feel safe.”
– Lori Broussard, stroke survivor
“I Couldn’t Get My Words Out”
At just 48 years old, Lori was faced with a situation she’d never imagined: wondering if she’d need to end the career she’d spent her whole life building.
After decades of hard work, she’d just celebrated a major achievement: becoming the #1 realtor in the entire state of Louisiana. No one could have guessed that a few months later, Lori would have a stroke that would leave her unsure if she’d ever be able to return to work.
As a realtor, Lori’s career centered around building trust and communicating with clients. But suddenly, she had expressive aphasia and apraxia of speech, which made speaking — especially in a fast-paced, competitive environment — extremely difficult.
“I couldn’t get my words out,” Lori shared. “I was driving myself crazy because I was able to know what I wanted to say, but I wasn’t able to say it.”
Before the stroke, Lori had always thrived on her mental sharpness and determination. Now, she felt driven to rebuild her confidence and return to the career she loved.
While looking for tools to improve her speech, she stumbled upon Lingraphica’s website. After hearing about Lingraphica from a previous speech therapist, she was curious whether AAC could help her. After all, the Lingraphica AAC trial was free — and Lori knew that if she wanted to reach her goal of returning to work, she’d need to take advantage of every speech and language rehab tool available.
Can AAC Really Help Someone with Mild or Moderate Aphasia?
When Lori first met with our Lingraphica team, her aphasia was considered “mild-moderate.” At times, her speech came out fluently. Other times, she struggled to find the words she wanted to say — especially if she was feeling tired. But, because speaking wasn’t always a struggle, she didn’t know if AAC would help.
After an in-depth discussion with speech-language pathologist and Lingraphica senior clinical technology consultant, Faye Stillman, it became clear that Lori was actually the perfect candidate for AAC.
“After talking with Lori, it was clear that an AAC device would be helpful for her because her aphasia symptoms fluctuated throughout the day. They could become severe depending on the conversation or setting. Whenever she struggled to find a word, she could use the AAC device to help cue her speech instead of feeling frustrated and wanting to shut down,” Faye shared.
“Lori’s case perfectly reflects the current research on aphasia rehabilitation,” she continued. “Dietz, Wallace, and Weissling published a paper in 2020 that shows how AAC improves language recovery outcomes when introduced early in aphasia therapy. AAC also helps reduce communication frustration, because the person has a ‘backup’ communication option when their speech isn’t coming out easily.”
It also was very important to Lori that she have a way to independently communicate in an emergency — especially if she was tired and having severe aphasia symptoms. Having an AAC device made her feel safe.
Faye explained,
“To support Lori’s specific goals, we customized her device with vocabulary related to her career as a real estate agent. This included language around pre-approval letters, buyer incentives, home inspections, and MLS reviews — essential topics she needed to effectively communicate with her clients again.”
Together, Lori and Faye worked on customizing Lori’s device so that she could use it to prepare her for returning to work.
Lori could then repeat these words and phrases aloud after her AAC device during home practice.
Navigating Returning to Work with Aphasia and Apraxia
After just four weeks with her Lingraphica TouchTalk, Lori noticed an enormous difference in her aphasia recovery.
Lori’s speech grew more fluent as she practiced with her AAC device at home. Soon, the long real-estate phrases she programmed into her device flowed more easily when she spoke. She also used the Draw app to help her improve her muscle control for handwriting and drawing (a hobby she’s always loved).
And while her speech was becoming more and more fluent with practice, Lori still appreciated having a “backup option” to help her communicate when she was having difficulty finding the words she wanted to say.
Best of all? Lori was able to ease back into work in March — just 3 months after her stroke!
Her story is the perfect example of how AAC can help people with even mild-moderate aphasia rehabilitate their language skills — and communicate without frustration.
Lingraphica Can Help
During a free 30-minute consultation, we’ll help you and your loved ones find exactly what you need to meet your specific communication goals.
We’ll help you to better understand your condition, offer simple strategies for communicating more effectively, and discuss communication and therapy devices and apps that can really help. Call us at 888-274-2742 or click the button below to schedule a consultation.
