Cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT) helps patients who have mild to moderate cognitive dysfunction improve their quality of life. This form of treatment is specifically designed to help people who have typically suffered from stroke or traumatic brain injury in areas of attention and memory. Speech Language Pathologists provide cognitive rehabilitation through in an office setting or in a virtual environment such as using Telehealth. Cognitive rehabilitation and its therapeutic interventions can transform many areas of a patient's life. The following interventions have been found to be effective according to the American Speech and Hearing Association:
- Memory treatments that teach patients a process to recall information over longer periods of time.
- Memory strategies to help patients recall names of people
- Memory treatments that people with faster recall of information
- Attention strategies to teach methods to improve focus and attention
Therapy may take the form of having a patient eliminate distraction when having to focus on a high interest activity to improve learning and later recall of the information. Other therapies may include having a patient recall words faster or learning to use images to pair with words to improve recall of the information. Computer-based programs may also be a part of therapy to provide a high-tech way to engage a patient to practice exercises of attention, memory, and brain speed.
Therapy sessions typically take a clinical hour (which are generally 45-50 minutes, with the remaining time in the hour being utilized by the therapist for documentation). The duration of treatment can take 6-24 weeks depending on the patient’s needs. While most therapy is covered by insurance, patients seeing doctors who are out of network can pay for sessions out-of-pocket (also known as private pay).
There is a wealth of evidence that suggests CRT is useful for maintaining cognitive function. Some insurance companies may not cover CRT as it is a relatively new treatment, and more research is needed to show positive outcomes for patients for specific treatments. Some patients have been successfully able to file appeals by documenting detailed evidence of the patient's progress in daily functioning. Talk to your clinician for advice on getting treatments covered by your insurance company.
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