TUESDAY,
Jan. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Singing may help stroke patients
regain communication skills, according to new research.
About 40%
of stroke survivors have aphasia, a difficulty to deliver or comprehend
spoken or written language. That impairment is ongoing for about half of
those patients a year after their stroke, potentially affecting quality
of life or leading to social isolation.
Researchers in Finland studied a singing-based group rehabilitation program.
"Our study
utilized a wide variety of singing elements, such as choral singing,
melodic intonation therapy and tablet-assisted singing training," said
study co-author Anni Pitkäniemi, a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. She spoke in a university news release.
Melodic
intonation therapy involves using melody and rhythm to progress
gradually from singing toward speech. It has been used to some extent in
aphasia rehabilitation.
Though previous research had determined
that it was possible to retain singing ability even in severe aphasia,
the use of singing -- especially choral singing -- had not been widely
studied in aphasia rehabilitation.
Rehab sessions were led by a trained music therapist and a trained choir conductor.
While
singing therapy has typically been done individually, these researchers
suggested that singing-based group training should be used as part of
aphasia rehabilitation.
"In addition to training in speech
production, group-based rehabilitation provides an excellent opportunity
for peer support both for the patients and their families," said
co-author Sini-Tuuli Siponkoski, a postdoctoral researcher at the university.
The researchers also found that the burden experienced among family caregivers participating in the study decreased notably.
"Our
study is the first where caregivers participated in rehabilitation and
their psychological well-being was evaluated," Siponkoski said in the
release.
The findings were published Dec. 27 in the journal Brain Communications.
What This Means for You
A singing-based group rehabilitation program could help stroke survivors overcome lingering speech and language disabilities.
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