MIL (69) wants speech therapy due to aphasia from stroke 14 years ago. Isn't it too late for this?

My husband developed aphasia as part of Alzheimer's. A few years later he had a stroke. After months of rehab, we enrolled in a two day a week out-patient physical therapy program, which gave him extra help to build his strength and keep him moving.
One day I saw a sign at the facility about a conversational speaking group for capable people who had suffered sudden strokes or heart attacks and had lost their ability to speak. We went a few times, but due to the Alzheimer's, my husband was not able participate.
Time passed, we have caregivers at home now, and with encouragement, my husband has begun to speak again. It's not always clear what he's saying, but he wants to communicate. With that same encouragement, he is walking more and with beautiful concentration on moving the weak foot and hand.
I can't say that the Alzheimer's is going away, but it feels like he is recovering from the stroke....
For your mother-in-law's sake, find a supportive situation for her to practice her speaking, and see what happens. We can only guess at the frustration at not being able to communicate.
Best wishes to all of you.

When my Dad passed away, my Mom slowly came alive. She was interested in everything and lived a lovely life, even though she was slow and needed a lot of help.

She wanted to garden and got a local guy to take out old bushes and add new young ones. She went to the library and made new friends and just a few months before she died she insisted on spending money on hearing aids. That was interesting because she hardly ever changed her earrings. So, it was unlikely she would even ever use the hearing aids.

The things is... she could afford to do what she did. She spent our inheritance, but in our family no one counts on anyone else being responsible for us. We all work hard, have our careers and made our own money. So we encouraged her.

It's a different situation from stroke recovery, but an example of someone trying to live life fully toward the other end. Encourage her to do what she wants, if she can do it responsibly.

My mother had more people at her funeral service than I probably would. She had made a lot of friends along the way. Every nurse and doctor liked her. She brightened up for them. She even insisted on getting tested to be able to drive at 92 yrs old and people involved in the assessment liked her.

I'm glad we didn't discourage her from any idea she had. Now she's gone and those are good memories.

She set the example for hopefulness that we all have for the rest of our lives.

As ba8alou has suggested, find a speech therapy center near you and speak with a professional, preferably one with experience in long-term or chronic stroke recovery. The American Speech Language Hearing Association can help you (google ASHA). There is also an online program called Oral Reading for Language in Aphasia which is available. It's also called ORLA. If you search ORLA and aphasia, you should come up with several resources. Look for the Rehab Institute of Chicago where it was developed. Lastly, get in touch with your state's assistive technology project (every state and territory has one) and ask about communication aids. While you MIL is working toward her recovery, communication aids may alleviate some of her frustration. I apologize for not providing links, but they are usually removed from the forum. Use your favorite search engine or feel free to DM me. Good luck to you and your MiL!

I wouldn't say no, but I would manage her expectations as well as you can. Still - any slight improvement is better than none, isn't it?

"Good for her"

Find a speech therapy center connected to a rehab center, teaching hospital or university. I believe that Medicare would pay for this service if ordered by a doctor. Good for, for wanting to work on this. My mother has been getting speech therapy post-stroke. A lot of what her therapists have taught her are various strategies to compensate when she can't figure out a particular word and exercises that make speech more fluent.

I would look into it. Is it expensive? It can't hurt her, can it? Maybe she is looking for something to do...It is difficult. My brother has aphasia, and he is in late 50's. It's hard. He has a rare brain disorder. When I see him, he just wants to talk. which he does. I really don't know what he is saying, but he is happy someone is listening, being there.....I haven't seen him in a week. I hope he is okay...He is a good guy, and he will talk, and then laugh, and he wants to see your reaction.... It is tough. See if her insurance will pay for it, or if dr recommends it.....What does your husband think?