Understanding Aphasia with speech therapist Rachel Katz

Join Amy Zellmer as she chats with speech therapist, Rachel Katz M.S., CCC-SLP, about what Aphasia and how to communicate with patients who suffer from it. 

Aphasia, which is most often the result of a traumatic brain injury or stroke, doesn’t affect intelligence, so it is not hard to understand the very real struggle of the patients experiencing it. In fact, a 2010 study on the impact of 60 different diseases and 15 conditions on quality of life for more than 66,000 people found that aphasia has the largest negative impact on quality of life, more than cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Rachel is a Speech Team Leader at HealthSouth Sunrise Rehabilitation Hospital (HSSRH) specializing in aphasia, motor speech disorders, dysphagia, and cognitive rehabilitation. Her experience is with a wide variety of diagnoses, including primary stroke and brain injury patients in an acute inpatient rehabilitation setting. She is a member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and received the ACE award for advanced continuing education in her field.

She has an advanced specialty certification in Vital Stim/NMES, Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile, Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular Stimulation and Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy. She is a co-chair of the Joint Commission Disease Specific Stroke Program at HealthSouth Sunrise. She co-developed the Evidence-Based Cognitive Evaluation and Treatment corporate course and is a corporate clinical educator in the area of cognition. Rachel initiated and facilitates the Aphasia Community Group at HSSRH to provide education and support for people with aphasia and their family members and caregivers.