Carianne Vermeulen Speech Therapists Inc. provide the speech-language therapy services at Cape Rehab Team.
Communication and swallowing difficulties can result from a variety of causes, including (but not limited to): Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and other forms of motor neuron disease (MND), brain tumours, Dementia (including Alzheimer’s Disease), Guillain-Barre Syndrome, head and neck cancer, Huntington’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, stroke and traumatic brain injury.
Services
We know that communicating with others, specifically loved ones, is an important part of daily life. In addition, we understand that being able to enjoy food and share meals with our families is of equal importance and greatly influences quality of life. We therefore provide intervention in the areas of:
- Speech production, which includes: articulation, fluency, resonance and voice production.
- Language processing and use, including the comprehension and expression of both spoken and written language.
- Dysphagia (swallowing disorders), where the goal is to achieve adequate nutrition and hydration by means of the least restrictive diet possible, and allow for the safe consumption of food, liquid, and medication.
As speech and language therapists we provide a wide range of services and in addition to speech, language, and swallowing difficulties, we also provide intervention in the areas of:
Cognitive aspects of communication, for example: attention, memory and problem solving.
- Voice therapy focused specifically on voice production where symptoms include hoarseness, reduced vocal intensity, and/or breathy, strained voice quality, which hinders communication with others.
- Alternative and Augmentative Communication for individuals who are unable to communicate verbally and thereby allow active and meaningful participation within social-communicative interactions.
The practice provides intervention on an individual basis; however, support is also provided for family members and caregivers, as we feel that they are an integral part of the rehabilitation team. We provide services during any stage of the neurological condition, from the acute phase in-hospital, as well as on an out-patient basis following discharge from hospital or the rehabilitation unit.
We are passionate about improving each individual’s ability to communicate effectively and meaningfully and allow for safe oral intake during mealtimes, thereby ultimately improving quality of life through the rehabilitation of these functions.
Testimonials
“Carianne has provided empathetic and insightful support the the rehabilitation process. As a speech therapist, her role in the rehabilitation team has been critical to Eugene’s improvement on more levels than can be seen or measured. In addition to the positive strides in his ability to communicate facilitated by her therapeutic skills, both the patient and his wife looked forward to her therapy sessions for the warmth and genuine interest that she showed in their well-being."
We had the absolute pleasure and honor to have met Carianne in Mei of 2020. She has made such a difference and played a very valuable roll in our lives. After a crainiotomy, my husband (Johan)was not able to speak for 3 weeks. Thanks to all of Carianne's great tips, advice,guidance and patience, he was able to put all of his words back in order, sorting his filling cabinets in his brain. She made the therapy fun and helped us make it part of our everyday lives. This year we unfortunately had to take on the same journey,after another procedure and ince again due to the consistent exercises, support,care and dedication from Carianne, we were again able to communicate so much better and faster. Johan's speech is improving everyday. We are forever thankful that we were able to have met Carianne and take on this challenge together. We just call her ~Simply the Best ❤️
We had the absolute pleasure and honor to have met Carianne in May of 2020. She has made such a difference and played a very valuable role in our lives. After a craniotomy, my husband (Johan)was not able to speak for 3 weeks. Thanks to all of Carianne's great tips, advice,guidance and patience, he was able to put all of his words back in order, sorting his filing cabinets in his brain. She made the therapy fun and helped us make it part of our everyday lives. This year we unfortunately had to take on the same journey,after another procedure and once again due to the consistent exercises, support,care and dedication from Carianne, we were again able to communicate so much better and faster. Johan's speech is improving everyday. We are forever thankful that we were able to have met Carianne and take on this challenge together. We just call her ~Simply the Best ❤️
Articles
When Stroke Affects Speech: How to Overcome Aphasia or Apraxia of Speech
10 Swallowing Exercises for Stroke Patients to Regain Function
