ity, since often, SLPs working virtually offer wide availability, including evenings and weekends. Convenient access to care accommodates busy schedules, that may be strained by ongoing appointments with doctors or other treatment regimens.

ADDRESSING ISSUES OF ISOLATION AND LONELINESS

Virtual speech therapy also helps to address challenges of isolation and loneliness, key Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) that accompany these conditions. 

• Help Recovering Lost Memories: SLPs can work with patients to retrieve memories, helping people learn ways to recall daily tasks or more deep-seated memories. When patients can remember specifics, it helps them process thoughts and communicate better.
• Increase Social Interaction: It’s not uncommon to see these individuals withdraw from friends, family, and regular social activities, when they develop communication issues. The onset of depression and loneliness can lead to more rapid deterioration. As people rebuild their ability to recall information and communicate clearly, they feel more confident, and are more likely to interact with others, and reconnect with friends and loved ones.
• Changes in Behavior: When it’s tough to communicate, anyone might act out. When people with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s 

and dementia struggle to form thoughts and communicate, it can lead to poor behavior. Speech therapy helps patients feel heard, communicate more effectively, and abandon poor behavior that they may have used to get attention.

"A key goal of an intervention plan is to maintain current cognitive function, as much as possible. This involves developing coping skills that enable individuals to manage their decline, as effectively as possible, and address memory loss or other cognitive deficits."

Research from the Alzheimer’s Association shows the number of people being diagnosed continues to go up, as the baby boomer population ages.8,9 It's estimated that 6.7 million Americans over the age of 65 are now living with Alzheimer’s, a number that is projected to grow to nearly 13 million by 2050. The U.S. will face an unprecedented wave of dementia and cognitive decline, and it is more important than ever that individuals have access to virtual care nationwide.• 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Avivit Ben-Aharon, MS ED., MA CCC SLP is the Founder and Clinical Director at Great Speech, Inc, a virtual speech therapy company founded in 2014. She is recognized as a trail blazer for nationwide virtual access to speech therapy. It allows anyone to receive expert services to improve their communication, regardless of location or scheduling limitations. Her work has been featured on Forbes, Good Morning America, US News and World Report, Miami Herald and more. She holds an undergraduate and a Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology from The City University of New York. She earned a Master of Science in Special Education and Teaching from Hunter College. For more information: www.greatspeech.com. 

• 8. cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/alzheimers-disease-numbers-increasing-as-baby-boomers-age-study
• 9. alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf