Medical Documentation Of Stroke And Its Effects
You cannot convince the Social Security Administration that you are disabled just because you appear to have weakness, poor coordination, or impaired gait because all of these findings are under your control. Thus, your medical history is very important. Claimants who have actually had a severe CVA have been hospitalized. By obtaining the records from that hospitalization, the Social Security Administration can obtain a much better picture of clinical severity. The initial physical examination can be reviewed, along with the degree of recovery at the time of hospital discharge. Almost certainly, a CT or MRI scan was done of the brain and sometimes cerebral angiography. These studies can be most helpful in determining the location and severity of brain damage, so that it can be correlated with the clinical findings at the time of adjudication. Some claimants allege abnormalities that were not present at the time of their CVA and do not correspond to the location or magnitude of the initial brain lesion, or they seem to manifest weakness much greater than that present in their past medical records. If the claimant underwent rehabilitation in the past, that information is useful.
What Causes Motor Aphasia
Aphasia typically occurs suddenly after a stroke or a head injury. But it can also come on gradually from a slow-growing brain tumor or a disease that causes progressive, permanent damage . The severity of aphasia depends on a number of conditions, including the cause and the extent of the brain damage.
Timing Of Social Security’s Decision
An important fact to consider in a disability claim for stroke is this: if you apply for Social Security disability or SSI soon after having a stroke, you won’t get an immediate answer on your claim. While most initial claims for disability benefits take several months to decide, stroke cases can take even longer due to the fact Social Security defers them for a period of at least three months.
Social Security puts off a decision on these cases because the residual effects of a stroke can be nearly impossible to measure in the short time following a stroke. Everyone recovers differently, depending on age, other medicals conditions, and other risk factors, and medical science is not advanced enough to allow for a reliable projection as to how a particular stroke victim may recover from a stroke.
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Speech And Language Rehabilitation
Recovery of language skills is usually a relatively slow process. Although most people make significant progress, few people regain full pre-injury communication levels.
For aphasia, speech and language therapy tries to improve the persons ability to communicate by restoring as much language as possible, teaching how to compensate for lost language skills and finding other methods of communicating.
Evidence suggests speech and language therapy is more effective if its started as soon as possible.
For many people, the most obvious recovery happens in the first six months. However, improvements can continue to be seen for much longer after this, even many years later.
How the therapy is carried out will depend on your circumstances. An intensive course of speech and language therapy may be recommended for some people. This involves a number of sessions spread out over a shorter period of time.
However, speech and language therapy can be exhausting, and an intensive course of treatment will not be suitable for everyone. For some people, shorter and less intensive sessions may be recommended.
Therapy may be individual sessions, groups, or using technology such as computer programmes or apps.
Therapy:
Speech and language therapy techniques
The specific techniques used and the aims of the treatment will depend on each persons circumstances. Some examples are described below.
The aim of these tasks is to improve your ability to remember meanings and link them with other words.
Aphasia And Your Life After A Stroke
When a stroke causes damage to the right hemisphere of the brain, the stroke survivor may be left with permanent difficulty expressing and processing language. This difficulty is called aphasia.
Aphasia affects ones ability to:
- Speak and be understood
- Use numbers
- Use non-verbal gestures
There are various degrees of aphasia. Aphasia can be very mild and affect only one aspect of language use, such as the ability to remember names of certain objects or the ability to read. Aphasia can also be so severe that it makes any communication impossible.
No two people experience aphasia the same way, but aphasia can be grouped into four main types:
When aphasia prevents a person from working, Social Security disability benefits are an option. Unfortunately, difficulty in communication can make it hard to navigate the SSDI application process. Our Omaha disability attorneys can help.
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Can I Get Disability For My Stroke
To qualify for disability for your stroke the Social Security Administration must first make several basic determinations:
- You may not earn more than about $1,310 a month .
- Your disability must last at least 12 months.
- Your disability must be “severe” .
Once the SSA has established your initial eligibility, it must next determine whether your stroke meets or equals one of the conditions established in the Listing of Impairments. If your stroke meets or equals a listing you will be automatically approved for disability.
What Causes Chronic Aphasia
Aphasia typically occurs suddenly after a stroke or a head injury. But it can also come on gradually from a slow-growing brain tumor or a disease that causes progressive, permanent damage . The severity of aphasia depends on a number of conditions, including the cause and the extent of the brain damage.
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What Happens To Dead Brain Cells After A Stroke
Unlike other organs such as the liver and skin, the brain does not regenerate new connections, blood vessels or tissue structures after it is damaged. Instead, dead brain tissue is absorbed, which leaves a cavity that is devoid of blood vessels, neurons or axons the thin nerve fibers that project from neurons.
What Are The Top 5 Learning Disabilities
From dyslexia to language processing disorder to visual perceptual/visual motor deficit, understanding learning disabilities helps psychology professionals better understand the populations they serve.Dyslexia. Dysgraphia. Dyscalculia. Auditory processing disorder. Language processing disorder.More items
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Setting Expectations When It Comes To Aphasia Recovery
Aphasia can be short-lived, or it can last for months, years, or indefinitely. Even if your aphasia is lifelong, therapists can help you to create strategies to continue participating in your community and the activities that are important to you. Although aphasia might always be a part of your life, it does not have to control your life.
What Type Of Disability Is Aphasia
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder due to brain damage and which may include difficulty in producing or comprehending spoken or written language. Stroke is the commonest cause and each year 50,000 new patients develop aphasia. People with aphasia differ in their speech output and in their fluency.
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What Types Of Aphasia Are There
There are two broad categories of aphasia: fluent and nonfluent, and there are several types within these groups.
Damage to the temporal lobe of the brain may result in Wernicke’s aphasia , the most common type of fluent aphasia. People with Wernicke’s aphasia may speak in long, complete sentences that have no meaning, adding unnecessary words and even creating made-up words.
For example, someone with Wernicke’s aphasia may say, “You know that smoodle pinkered and that I want to get him round and take care of him like you want before.”
As a result, it is often difficult to follow what the person is trying to say. People with Wernicke’s aphasia are often unaware of their spoken mistakes. Another hallmark of this type of aphasia is difficulty understanding speech.
The most common type of nonfluent aphasia is Broca’s aphasia . People with Broca’s aphasia have damage that primarily affects the frontal lobe of the brain. They often have right-sided weakness or paralysis of the arm and leg because the frontal lobe is also important for motor movements. People with Broca’s aphasia may understand speech and know what they want to say, but they frequently speak in short phrases that are produced with great effort. They often omit small words, such as “is,” “and” and “the.”
Aphasia And Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits
- Expressive aphasia The person knows what it is that they want to say, but they have problems writing or saying what they mean.
- Receptive aphasia The person sees the print or hears the voice, but they cannot make any sense out of the words.
- Anomic aphasia The person has trouble using the right word for places, objects or events.
- Global aphasia The person cannot write or read, understand speech or speak.
- Say unrecognizable words
- Speak in short, incomplete sentences
- Speak in sentences that do not make sense
- Interpret figurative language literally
- Write sentences that do not make sense
- Not be able to understand other peoples conversation.
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Can Aphasia Be Prevented
Generally speaking, no. However, reducing your risk of preventable causes of brain damage, such as stroke, and taking steps to maintain brain health as much as possible is always wise advice for a long and healthy life. Healthy living involves eating healthy ; exercising daily; maintaining a healthy weight; limiting alcohol intake; keeping blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol under guideline limits; quitting smoking and getting an adequate amount of sleep.
Applying For Disability Based On Medical
While you may not qualify to receive disability for your hemorrhagic stroke on account of any of the above standards, you may still be able to collect funds by applying through a medical-vocational allowance. By developing a “residual functional capacity” or RFC, Social Security can determine how fit or unfit you are to perform your job or daily activities. They’ll classify you on a scale of sedentary, light, medium, and heavy. They’ll look at your medical records and doctor’s notes , and make a determination that way.
For instance, if your job requires you to pick up boxes all day long, and your medical records and doctor’s notes indicate that you’ll simply be unable to do that, Social Security may recommend work that you are fit to do. However, if you are classified as an unskilled worker and your condition doesnt allow you to do much physical or mental work, then you’ll be a good candidate for benefits.
Age can be a vital factor in determining medical-vocational eligibility. The older you are, the easier it is to be eligible for a medical-vocational allowance. For instance, a stroke victim applying with no transferable skills at age 50 may not be approved for an allowance but could be approved at age 58 with the same work history.;
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Save Using A Registered Disability Savings Plan
A registered disability savings plan is a savings account for people with severe and prolonged disabilities. It’s registered with the federal government.
Here are some things you should know about RDSPs:
- you may be eligible for grants and bonds to help you save in an RDSP
- you can hold investments in an RDSP
- the money earned from investments in an RDSP isn’t taxed until you withdraw it
Starting The Recovery Process
After determining initial deficits, speech therapists begin coaching patients in pronouncing basic word sounds and teaching them ways to communicate nonverbally pointing to pictures or words, for example.
Although good progress can be made in the months after a stroke, Dr.;Persad stresses that it is possible for people to make advances even years after their episode.
Typically, regaining communication ability requires significant one-on-one repetitive therapy.
Scientific data show that the more you can do something repetitively and intensively, you will see changes from a language standpoint, says Persad.
Therapists also work with patients on exercises to make basic sounds again. They often present images to patients and ask them to verbalize what they see.
There is a lot of repetition to try to make associations between words and pictures, says Persad.
Patients may have an easier time finding the word that matches a simple object like a chair, while words like on, in, and between can be more difficult to process because these words dont trigger a concrete image.
Speech therapists rely on an assortment of techniques to revive speaking skills. Music, for example, has proved to be an effective means for people to remember words. Some aphasia patients can barely speak but they can sing entire songs.
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What If My Stroke Doesn’t Meet The Disability Listing Requirements
Even if your stroke doesn’t meet the severity requirements of a listing, you may still be approved. The SSA must determine whether you can do your old job despite the limitations caused by your stroke. If it believes you can do your old job despite your stroke, your claim will be automatically denied. But if the SSA agrees that your stroke prevents you from doing your old job, it will next determine if there is any other work you can do.
To establish whether there is any other work you can perform despite your stroke, the SSA will consider the combined effects of your age, education, past work experience, and documented work-related limitations. Social Security will develop a Residual Functional Capacity assessment for you, a detailed report that details the limitations you have on your ability to perform basic work-related activities. For example, if you are prescribed a walker or cane, this should be included in your RFC. If your memory is impaired because of your stroke and it has become difficult to remember and follow simple instructions, this should be discussed in your RFC. Also, if your stroke has caused significant weakness and you now are required to rest throughout the day, your RFC should reflect this as well.
It is important that your doctor include in your medical records any evidence of your work-related limitations. If you can prove that, because of your stroke, there is no work you can do, your claim will be approved.
Applying For Social Security Disability Benefits For A Child With Apraxia
If your child has apraxia of speech; either as a primary condition or associated with another condition; then he or she may be eligible to receive disability benefits through the Social Security Administrations Supplemental Security Income program and/or Social Security Disability Insurance program.
A few things to remember:
- A diagnosis does not automatically make your child eligible.
- The impact of the diagnosis or disability on your childs ability to function in a number of life areas will be considered.
- Only children who are found to be severely affected by their disability, as per guidelines of the SSA, are eligible.
- Your child and family will need to meet financial requirements.
Basic Eligibility for Benefits
A child under the age of 18 typically qualifies for Supplemental Security Income rather than Social Security Disability Insurance . This is because the SSDI program requires past employment and a specific amount of taxes paid into the system. However, if a childs parent currently receives SSDI, the disabled child may be eligible for dependent benefits under that parents name. If you feel that your child may qualify for dependent benefits under a parent or guardian, contact the representative who handles the eligible parents claim.
SSI, on the other hand, pays benefits to elderly or disabled individuals who have access to very limited income. There are no work-related requirements for SSI. ;SSI provides both cash and health insurance benefits.
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What Is The Fastest Way To Recover From A Brain Stroke
While learning any new skill requires patience and practice, a repetitive rehabilitation program helps the brain heal. Physical, recreational, and occupational therapy and other rehab programs are important. Similarly, awareness, sensitivity and patience are crucial for helping a stroke victim recover.
Can You Have Aphasia Without Brain Damage
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If the symptoms of aphasia last longer than two or three months after a stroke, a complete recovery is unlikely. However, it is important to note that some people continue to improve over a period of years and even decades.
Furthermore, what is the most common cause of aphasia? The most common cause of aphasia is brain damage resulting from a stroke the blockage or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain. Loss of blood to the brain leads to brain cell death or damage in areas that control language.
Simply so, how does aphasia affect the brain?
Aphasia is caused by damage to one or more of the language areas of the brain. Many times, the cause of the brain injury is a stroke. A stroke occurs when blood is unable to reach a part of the brain. Brain cells die when they do not receive their normal supply of blood, which carries oxygen and important nutrients.
What are the three types of aphasia?
Some of the common varieties of aphasia are:
- Global aphasia. This is the most severe form of aphasia, and is applied to patients who can produce few recognizable words and understand little or no spoken language.
- Broca’s aphasia.
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