What Bungalow Software can do for you
Effectiveness, Independence, and
Self Esteem
- Speeds recovery from aphasia or other language
deficits.
- Helps to extend insurance coverage.
- Convenient therapy when and where you want
it.
- Boost self-esteem and provide a sense of
accomplishment
- Provide
motivation
- Inspire
confidence.
- Immediate
feedback and assistance
|
How Bungalow Helps...
During
therapy it lets your therapist do more and can get you
additional insurance-provided therapy. more>>
Get more therapy...
After
therapy is over the Bungalow programs help you maintain
and increase gains made with your speech therapist. more>> |
Economically maintain and increase gains made in direct therapy.
Clinical
studies have proven the effectiveness of
software-based therapy for aphasia and cognitive disorders.
While there's no substitute for a
skilled therapist, home software provides additional
stimulation, practice, and feedback, efficiently and
conveniently.
Patients work on their own,
independently, on adult-appropriate materials. By
actively participating in their own recovery, the patients
gain self esteem and a feeling of control, both of which are
valuable components in recovery.
Bungalow programs are designed with age appropriate
content and feedback so the patient is treated as an
adult. This gives the patient a sense of
self-improvement and independence.
All our interactive programs provide statistical results
after every lesson so it's easy to chart progress.
Also, since patients are working independently, at their own pace,
they never feel like they are going too slow or making too many
mistakes.
By providing therapy when it's convenient for the patient, computer-based therapy makes maximum use
of the patient's motivation. If the patient feels particularly
motivated one day and wants to work an extra hour, she (or he) can.
By providing helpful feedback and cues, the
software maintains motivation even when the patient is having
difficulty.
The automatic efficacy data provides a permanent performance
record. Many patients don't realize how much they have
improved, only how much "below" their "normal" self they are.
Printed performance data motivates them by showing how much they
have already improved.
Everyone has difficulty performing with someone watching.
One-on-one therapy can have a similar effect on the patient.
Working alone, but with feedback (from the computer) reduces this
pressure.
Paper-based therapy feels like "kids
work"
Many patients express the feeling that paper-based
therapy is "kids' stuff". This isn't too surprising when you
recognize that the last time many of them did pen and pencil
homework was when they were in school. The computer is
associated with "adult work" and thus perceived (accurately) as
"serious work", which the patient has a sense of pride in, not
"kids' homework" (which can be demotivating).
Our software provides interactive feedback, hints, and
cueing
Paper-based therapy also does not provide
feedback or cueing. Our software is designed to provide
progressive cues (hints) until the patient gets the answer correct.
(For example, in the Aphasia Tutor series, the user is first asked
to type in the answer. If they get close, the program shows
them which letters are correct. If not, the program gives them
4 choices to choose from) If they still miss it, the program
finally shows them the correct answer.
Bungalow therapy software maintains and improves on the
gains made in therapy for a fraction of the cost of additional
direct therapy. There are many aspects of therapy
where software cannot help. Initial diagnosis and treatment
should be done by a therapist. However, for those areas
where it is appropriate, its much less expensive than one-on-one
therapy. Therapy software is an excellent way to augment
current therapy or maintain the gains made in therapy once direct
therapy ends.
Our programs provide between 20 and 200 hours of therapy
(depending on the programs). That translates to a cost of
about $.50 to $3.00 per hour of therapy. Software-based
therapy is a bargain, especially for patients who have reached a
therapy plateau and no longer qualify for direct therapy. Studies have
shown that continued practice maintains or improves on the gains
made in therapy.
The Plateau Paradox
... and why it can put an end to therapy
Insurance usually provides coverage as long as the patient is
showing improvement. However, if improvement stops, even for a
few months, coverage usually ends and never resumes. Here's
why...
Rehabilitation from a brain injury can take many months or
years. Improvement comes in spurts. Everyone
eventually hits a plateau where recovery seems to come to a
standstill. This does not mean recovery has
ended. It simply means the survivor needs lots of drill
practice to break through the plateau. Here's where it gets
interesting...
Insurance coverage is intended only for skilled medical
professional service, i.e., a therapist or doctor. However,
what's needed to overcome the plateau is lots of drill practice,
which does not require a medical professional. So, guess
what?
Insurance does not cover the therapy needed to overcome the
plateau.
And caregivers often cannot get the patient over the plateau
alone. The caregivers are expected to provide
therapy practice to get the patient though the plateau.
Unfortunately, most families are just plain busy working, caring for
their families and the survivor. And, while you don't need to
be a trained professional to provide drill practice, you do need to
have some training or teaching experience. Therapy practice isn't
simply about "testing" or "correcting" the patient. It's about
providing appropriate (and minimal) cues and hints. It's also
about being patient for hours at a time. That alone is a
challenge for anyone.
So, where does this leave
the patient?
 |
Waiting for therapy. And
waiting... and waiting...
Sound familiar? We hear this same story from
many of our customers. Hopefully, it hasn't happened to
you, but it probably will eventually. Bungalow Software
provides the intensive speech therapy practice necessary to
get through the plateau before insurance coverage
ends.
Using Bungalow's therapy software while getting insurance
covered therapy cannot only help speed recovery, but help to
extend insurance coverage as well. |
|
