Telerehabilitation in Speech and Language Therapy During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Valentina Lavermicocca, Marta Fina, Maria Cristina Cardo, Angela Tedesco, Marilina Notarnicola, Anna Rita Dellomonaco, Sara Donatone, Vincenzo Giorgio, Laura Belinda Rizzo, Pietro Fiore, Marisa Megna
In the period of the Covid-19 health emergency, tele-rehabilitation has represented a potential alternative to the traditional face-to-face approach, allowing the therapist to continue, via tele-health, with the rehabilitation process which was previously set up as in-person. In this paper, the cognitive tele-rehabilitation process of a 45-year-old adult neurological patient with severe memory disorders and organic post-stroke depression is described. The rehabilitation programme, specifically designed for the patient’s needs, has been administered synchronously (by videoconference) 3 times a week and is still in progress. The results that the patient obtained after the first cycle of 20 sessions of remote cognitive training are illustrated here. The positive feedback provided by the patient and their caregiver and comparison between pre- and post-treatment evaluation highlight the validity of the remote approach as a support to in-person speech and language therapy or as an alternative in situations that make it impossible to visit a therapist.
Keywords
Telerehabilitation, Telepractice, Covid-19, Ictus, Cognitive disorders.
