University Hearing & Speech Clinic Offers Book Club for Stroke Patients

SPOKANE, Wash. – The UPCD Hearing and Speech Clinic at the Riverpoint campus, a cooperative program of Washington State University and Eastern Washington University, is launching a book club designed to support the needs of those who have difficulty reading due to a neurological impairment. The first book club starts the week of April 3. Cost is $40 for the entire duration of the club.

“We saw a need to serve adults who have read all their lives, but have lost that capability due to a stroke,” said clinic director Doreen Nicholas. “It is our hope that through the book club, participants will again enjoy the process of reading and will increase life participation skills. Most insurance companies won’t cover something like this, but we can offer it as a service to the community while we offer our students a creative clinical learning opportunity.”

Nationally certified speech-language pathologists and speech-language pathology graduate students from EWU and WSU will guide activities and lead group discussions. Group members will read and/or listen to the book via audiotape at home. Weekly group sessions will include worksheets, chapter summaries and discussions to help members understand the book’s concepts.

Each book club runs for 6-14 weeks based on the story length. Book club members may read the book while listening to the audiotape, or listen to the audiotape only. A spouse or volunteer can read the book to the participant as well. Recent best seller books will be the focus of the club, including “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom and “It’s Not About the Bike” by Lance Armstrong.

Nicholas said that participants should have an interest in reading; a commitment to reading/listening at home; be able to read at least at the phrase level; and have adequate auditory comprehension to communicate socially.

The first session will read “Tuesdays With Morrie” by Mitch Albom. The group meets Mondays, 11 a.m. – noon, at the EWU/WSU University Hearing and Speech Clinic in the Health Sciences Building, Riverpoint campus, 310 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Parking is available at meters adjacent to the clinic, which is located at the west end of the building.

For more information contact the clinic at 509-358-7580.

About the University Hearing and Speech Clinic

University Programs in Communication Disorders is a graduate program in speech and hearing sciences/communication disorders taught collaboratively by Eastern Washington University and WSU. The program is housed in the Health Sciences Building, which features state-of-the-art clinics, the latest instrumentation, and wired classrooms to enhance the learning experience.

Operated by UPCD, the University Hearing and Speech Clinic is dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of conditions that limit one’s ability to communicate freely. The clinic is an education and training facility for students preparing for careers in speech-language pathology and audiology. Services provided include comprehensive screening, evaluation and rehabilitation for a broad range of speech, language, and hearing problems for both adults and children.

Web sites:

Hearing and Speech Clinic: www.upcdclinic.spokane.wsu.edu

HOPE School to Open for Young Children with Hearing Loss (Aug. 4, 2004): wsunews.wsu.edu/detail.asp?StoryID=4672

Speech-Language Pathologists Enter a Hot Job Market (WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin, May 18, 2005): www.spokane.wsu.edu/News&Events/bulletins/bulletin05/May18.asp

WSU Spokane: www.spokane.wsu.edu

Eastern Washington University: www.ewu.edu