Proposal of application of alternative communication for patient with neurodegenerative disease and its impact on quality of life: case report

Abstract

This is a case report of a 51-year-old male, with complete college education, favorable socioeconomic status, diagnosed in 1999 with Friedreich’s Ataxia. He arrives at the speech therapy clinic, with an emphasis on assisting adults with degenerative diseases, under the guidance of the genetics team at the service of the same hospital. Speech examination examines moderate to severe oropharyngeal dysphagia and severe dysarthria. Dysphagia is rehabilitated via private home care at the patient’s option and in the outpatient clinic with the objective of improving quality of life, a proposal for the application of augmentative and/or alternative communication was created to develop the communication skills of the patient who was no longer expressing himself. Two evaluations (pre and post therapy) and four therapeutic intervention sessions were carried out to learn and implement the alternative communication board. At the end of the therapeutic process, there was low adherence to the use of augmentative and / or alternative communication, even with the self-perception of the unintelligibility of his speech, using the folder restricted to speech therapy. Both the patient and his companions reported that even after several attempts there was a denial of the use of alternative communication. Although there were few sessions, there was no impact on the patient’s quality of life after using augmentative and/or alternative communication.