On the Importance of Tailor-made Speech Relearning Software for Stroke Rehabilitation

摘要

Post stroke rehabilitation is a global issue with increasing challenges today when the percentage of older adults is increasing. There is a need for new solutions to better assist stroke survivors' normally long way back to a good and independent life. The various post stroke impairments can be divided into the categories of cognitive, motoric and speech impairment, and the three also have their interrelations. This position paper has a focus on rehabilitation of stroke survivors' speech impairments, and the use of technology-enhanced systems to assist the speech relearning. The current reuse of language learning software for primary school students is doubtful, and should better be replaced by tailor-made and adaptable tools that fit the target group. Finally, the recommendation is a long-term strategy where some initial costs should fund the design, development and evaluation of new digital tools for speech relearning. This should be conducted in a collaboration between researchers, speech therapists, stroke patients. The approach should be iterative and user-centred, with both speech therapists and stroke patients as the end-users.