After being unable to speak properly for 18 months Krista Top is able to use her voice again thanks to help from speech pathology students at Curtin University’s speech pathology clinic.
Ms Top, 47, a customer service manager required to communicate with a wide range of people as part of her work, she would frequently lose her voice for long periods of time and would struggle to speak.
She said her speech problem was negatively impacting on her job and her social life, and by the time the Seville Grove resident went to the Gosnells-based speech pathology clinic, her voice was getting worse.
“Speech therapists and final-year students completing Curtin’s speech pathology degree provided me with a 13-week therapy plan,” Ms Top said.
“It included learning how to breathe properly and retrained my vocal cords to correctly form sounds. I also learnt how to relax and release tension and stress from my body.
“Progress with my voice was recorded, and it was great to hear with each returning session how much I had improved.
“Fantastic care was provided to me throughout my therapy and because it is a student-led clinic I received care from three people, which is unheard of these days.
“The team were really eager to help me recover and they went above and beyond to make sure I reached my potential and got my voice back.
“I no longer lose my voice and thanks to the speech therapy I received, it’s now really powerful. The success of the therapy plan has given me a new lease on life.”
The Gosnells Community Speech Pathology Clinic is a joint collaboration between Curtin University, Bentley Hospital and the Armadale Kelmscott Memorial Hospital. It opened in February this year.
It caters for adults across Western Australia who have a range of communication and swallowing needs, including stroke victims and people with Parkinson’s disease. The Clinic is the only one of its kind in the state and is helping to reduce speech waiting lists in local hospitals.
Speech pathology clinical educator, Renee Davis, from Curtin’s School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, said there was no waiting list so clients could be seen within days, if needed.
“Clients receive more intensive therapy than they would in a hospital outpatient setting, and we take clients from all suburbs,” Ms Davis said.
For more information call 9394 0295 or email gosnellsspeechpathology@hotmail.com.
Contact:
Kristy Jones, Public Relations, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 9085, Mobile: 0401 103 877, Email: k.jones@curtin.edu.au
Web: http://curtin.edu.au
