Long COVID May Impact the Ability to Communicate and Speak

For people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, recovering from the virus may not be the end of the road. Complications from a COVID-19 infection can include uncharacteristic forgetfulness or trouble remembering words. Such difficulty is often labeled as “brain fog,” a condition affecting an estimated 22-32% of patients experiencing long COVID.

Patients often describe brain fog as the feeling of sluggish thinking and forgetfulness. It has often been associated with a lack of sleep or a result of medications that trigger drowsiness. But it’s a new world with COVID. Long COVID has been strongly associated with self-reported linguistic and communications complications..

A considerable portion of low-risk people with mild COVID-19 reported “long-term” symptoms that disrupted work, social, and home life. That can be distressful. The good news is that patients seeking help from speech therapists can better develop strategies to manage their communication difficulties. 

Speech therapists also have proven specific protocols to help patients with memory concerns. Many of these protocols involve speech therapists teaching patients to help themselves and may include:

Speech Therapy Treatments to Manage Long COVID 

According to the UK study source, 18% of those recovering from long COVID say their ability to undertake day-to-day activities has been “limited a lot.” The World Health Organization (WHO) also confirmed long COVID physiology in an October 2021 study

The study noted that speech complications associated with long COVID were related to planning and sequencing. A US academic article found that COVID patients who spent significant time on ventilators or experienced low oxygen levels were especially susceptible to communication challenges. COVID-related strokes were also linked to a patient’s ability to understand and speak and read or write. 

COVID Linked to Neurological Damage May Effect Speech

A University of Kansas Post COVID Clinic treatment program concluded that “speech therapy plays a critical role in getting people through their recovery more quickly.” The speech therapists in that program found that much of the brain physiology in long COVID patients is similar to patients with traumatic brain injury. 

Diagnostic imaging reveals that some people who have suffered the virus have a change in the brain’s white matter, where long nerve fibers control the flow of information. Such “white matter disease” might contribute to cognitive difficulties that patients experience, such as the functions associated with speech. 

Patients can experience some 200 symptoms linked to long COVID. Speech therapy is an integral part of treatment. All long COVID patients should undergo an evaluation for speech therapy, with virtual access as a vital tool for care.

The Benefits of Virtual Speech Therapy in Treating Long Covid

Virtual Speech Therapy has reinvented the speech therapy space. It creates benefits for patients, therapists, and providers. These benefits include:

Great Speech has also developed a long COVID treatment program, including individual and group therapy, to effectively help people in the U.S. suffering from long COVID conditions to leverage the advantages of virtual speech therapy. The program creates access to peer support and assures patients they are not alone in their journey to recovery. Great Speech’s licensed speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work with patients to help them regain communication skills, improve confidence and overcome other potential challenges resulting from long COVID.

In addition to individual therapy, speech and language group therapy can help patients affected by long COVID to confidently return to work, handle daily life and resume an active lifestyle. Virtual speech therapy provides the added benefits of allowing people to get help from their homes, eliminating travel to an off-site brick-and-mortar facility, and minimizing opportunities for viral transmission.

About Great Speech Inc.

Great Speech is the pioneer and recognized leader in virtual speech therapy and, since 2014, has delivered convenient, specialized services to clients anytime, anywhere. Its innovative approach leverages technology to match credentialed therapists with children, adults, and seniors who need and seek better speech communication. Proud recipient of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certification. www.greatspeech.com 

About Avivit Ben-Aharon

Avivit Ben-Aharon is the Founder and Clinical Director at Great Speech, Inc, founded in 2014. She trailblazed virtual access to speech therapy, allowing anyone who is committed to improving their communication to receive expert services–regardless of location or scheduling limitations. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, the US News and World Report, the Miami Herald, and more. 

When Avivit was 14 years old, her family immigrated to the United States. At the time, she didn’t speak English and struggled to communicate at school. This inspired her to help other people avoid the frustrations she experienced. 

Moving from Passion to Purpose(Opens in a new browser tab)

However, after working as a speech therapist for over a decade, she saw countless situations where people could not access the therapeutic services they needed. Traditional methods of therapy didn’t integrate easily with modern-day lifestyles. Avivit began experimenting with technology to deliver speech therapy entirely online. 

Not only did this allow greater convenience, but it also enabled her to hire the best therapists in the country and leverage a highly personalized client-to-therapist pairing process. Now, Great Speech employs over 50 speech therapists and serves thousands of clients with varying focus areas.

By: Avivit Ben-Aharon, M.S.Ed., M.A. CCC SLP, Founder, and Clinical Director, Great Speech

Avivit
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