Technology and medicine have been working together successfully for years, and it seems they’re going to continue their amicable relationship. A partnership formed between the American Stroke Association (ASA) and the digital company The Learning Corp (TLC) created an app designed to help stroke victims deal with the speech and cognitive problems that occur during life after a stroke. Defined as “a digital exercise program,” Constant Therapy uses speech, language, and cognitive exercises to help patients manage their long-term recovery.
Constant Therapy’s research-based exercises help patients strengthen their speaking, reading, writing, math, memory, and attention skills. They are personalized to each individual depending on what kind of injury their stroke or brain damage has left them with, and are virtually limitless. As each new user completes tasks (over 75 million have been completed so far!), the program’s machine-learning engine builds new insight and paths to recovery, which sets new standards for effective stroke treatment.
Approximately 800,000 people suffer a stroke each year, leading to side effects like aphasia and cognitive difficulties. As a result, many victims of stroke need constant care. Since 90% of Americans over the age of 65 want to remain at home for as long as possible (and many families don’t want to put their loved one in a nursing home), home health aides are often employed.
The app may also be able to help the 8% of U.S. children between the ages of three and 17 who have a disorder related to voice, speech, or language.
Although most home health care agencies are skilled in occupational and physical therapies, many lack the qualified knowledge offered by speech-language pathologists. In fact, there is a general shortage of such professionals nationwide: only 145,000 speech-language pathologists are currently working in the United States. The Constant Therapy app bridges the gap between the supply and demand of qualified speech-language therapists.
The app is HIPAA-compliant and available on almost all devices (including Apple, Amazon, and Android), allowing patients constant access to the exercises that will see them recovering the quickest. The invention of Constant Therapy gives patients an opportunity to practice whenever it suits them; paired with one of the 1.9 million home health aides in this country, stroke victims may find themselves taking their lives back sooner than they’d ever imagined.
“Early and frequent therapy is a vital component to regaining function after a stroke, and research shows that Constant Therapy users practice on average four times more exercises compared to people who receive speech therapy exclusively in a clinic,” said Veera Anantha, Ph.D., TLC’s co-founder and president. “Our collaboration with the esteemed ASA allows us to reach more patients, and work together to end stroke.”
