Speech Therapy In Salt Lake City

A speech therapist working with a patient.

Speech therapy is essential to our skilled nursing facility’s rehabilitative services. Our speech-language pathologists provide one-on-one analysis and treatment, ensuring each person needing speech therapy receives comprehensive and effective treatment to regain communication skills or improve their ability to swallow foods.

Contact us to discuss our speech therapy services today.

Key Takeaways

Speech-language pathologists use communication exercises to improve speech clarity, word recall, and other communication issues.
Communication is essential for preventing mental and neurological health issues.
Speech therapy is an effective treatment for dysphagia.
Reasons older adults may need speech therapy include stroke, dementia, and traumatic brain injuries.

What Are Speech-Language Pathologists?

Speech-language pathologists are highly trained medical professionals who evaluate patients, establish treatment goals, and oversee treatments. They must have a master’s degree in speech-language pathology and a state license. In 2025, there were 193,400 speech-language pathologists in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Nursing and residential care facilities employ 9,670 (5%) of these professionals.

Communication Is Essential To Health

Social interaction is essential for health. Isolation increases the risks of severe mental and neurological issues, including depression and dementia. Communication issues compound a person’s sense of isolation, and restoring their speech can improve their health and quality of life.

Monument Health Group provides speech therapy for adults struggling with health issues affecting their speaking ability, enabling them to rebuild muscles and regain their ability to communicate verbally.

Speech Therapy FAQ

Our speech therapists treat patients with communication challenges stemming from many medical issues. An individual may also need rehab for speech therapy due to the following conditions:

Alzheimer’s
Dementia
Dry mouth
Infection
Loose dentures
Medication
Missing teeth
Parkinson’s
Stroke
Traumatic brain injury
Tumors

Treatment plans could involve helping individuals strengthen their chest, jaw, lips, neck, and tongue muscles. Treatments are customized to address the root cause of the communication issues, which could be physical or neurological.

Signs An Adult May Need Speech Therapy

Common symptoms of speech disorders that may indicate that an adult needs speech therapy include:

Adding, omitting, or substituting sounds when speaking
Difficulty finding the desired words when speaking
Distorting sounds
Issues when swallowing
Pausing in the middle of words or sentences
Physical tension in face when speaking, or head jerking
Repeating sounds, words, or syllables
Stuttering
Unusual pitch or volume when speaking

Reasons an adult may need speech-language pathology include symptoms stemming from pre-existing neurological conditions, such as ADHD, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease. Adults may also need speech therapy to treat symptoms stemming from recent medical issues, such as brain tumors, strokes, and traumatic brain injuries.

Neurological issues commonly cause cognitive communication disorders. Older adults may also need to see a speech-language pathologist (speech therapist) if they have dementia, which could be a pre-existing or recent diagnosis.

The three main components of a speech therapy evaluation include:

Interview: The speech therapist gathers relevant medical history and clarifies your concerns.
Observation: Speech therapists note things like your ability to make eye contact and how well you maintain conversation.
Testing: Speech therapists test your sound production and how well you understand verbal communication. They also physically evaluate your mouth, tongue, and jaw to determine if physical issues may be affecting your speech.

After an evaluation, the speech therapist develops an individualized therapy plan and uses communication exercises to address issues, such as speech clarity and word recall.

Approximately 66% of stroke victims have speech difficulties after a stroke. In skilled nursing facilities, individualized speech therapy treatments improve clarity, word recall, and language comprehension, and exercises strengthen the muscles used for speaking. The treatments offer many benefits, including improved communication and reduced isolation.

Speech-language pathologists treat speech and swallowing issues. The treatments differ because they target different muscles and use different exercises. In some cases, speech therapists may treat patients with both speech and swallowing issues.

Dysphagia is the medical term for swallowing issues. It is common among adults over 65, affecting up to 33% of adults in this age group. Our speech-language pathologists assist patients with this serious medical issue, treating feeding and swallowing issues.

Our speech-language pathologists implement treatments to improve neurological and muscular control while swallowing and addressing breathing issues causing dysphagia. When obstructions or control issues prevent normal swallowing functions, we introduce modified diets and assistive devices to ensure patients can swallow safely.

Speech therapists help retrain memory pathways to improve word recall and word recognition, supporting communication and memory. Speech therapists can incorporate exercises to retrain the brain and compensate for cognitive issues affecting communication, helping people with memory and cognitive communication issues regain or compensate for how their condition has affected their ability to communicate.

Monument Health facilities offer personal services, such as access to a dining room, daily activities, and beautician services.

Our medical services include the following:

Occupational therapy: Our occupational therapists help individuals improve or regain motor function and learn to use assistive devices when required. Our occupational therapists assess patients and develop customized treatment plans to help each person reach their rehabilitation goals.
Physical therapy: Physical therapists work with people experiencing pain or recovering from medical issues affecting their balance and ability to move. Our physical therapists evaluate patients and create custom treatment plans to alleviate their pain, help them regain gross motor skills, or teach them to use assistive devices.
Short-term rehabilitation: Individuals may need short-term rehabilitation services after recovering from surgery or a health issue, such as a stroke. Our short-term rehabilitation team provides expert medical care to help these patients recover and return home as quickly as possible.
Skilled nursing and rehabilitation: Our facilities offer skilled nursing and rehabilitation patients to short- and long-term patients. Some individuals require ongoing care or have a lengthy recovery period, and our team provides the medical services they need to support them through their health journey.

Monument Health Group has 11 locations across Utah, providing care in Salt Lake City, Bountiful, American Fork, and Brigham City. Monument Health is committed to accessible, high-quality healthcare close to home.

Communication problems. (2026).

Dysphagia in Older Adults: New Implications for Health Outcomes. (2023).

Speech-Language Pathologists: Work Environment. (2026).