Thoughts and Prayers for Jamie Foxx

The entire team at Great Speech is praying for 55-year-old Jamie Foxx, Oscar-winning actor, comedian and singer, to have a fast recovery. Foxx was reportedly rushed to a hospital after experiencing chest pain and likely suffering a stroke. The actor, known for his roles in movies like “Ray” and “Django Unchained,” is known for his high-energy performances and physically demanding roles throughout his career.

A stroke is a serious medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted, leading to possible brain damage. The warning signs of a stroke can include sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arms or legs, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, sudden confusion or trouble with vision and severe headache. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that strokes are the leading cause of serious long-term disability.

Younger People at Risk for a Stroke

Strokes can happen to anyone at any time, with nearly 800,000 Americans experiencing a stroke each year. Jamie Foxx provides an example that while strokes may be more common among the senior population, they are not exclusive to that particular age group.

Even younger, healthier looking adults may be subject to a stroke — even infants, children, and adolescents are at risk. In fact, approximately one in seven strokes occur in people ages 15 to 49 and according to a study published in February 2020 in the journal Stroke, between 10 and 15 percent of strokes occur in people ages 18 to 50. In general, most experts consider a young stroke age to be under 45.

Stroke May Impact Speech and Communication Skills

While the severity of a stroke can range from mild to severe, emergency care and early intervention go a long way in treating a stroke patient. One’s ability to speak or communicate post-stroke results from the extent of damage to brain tissue and the location of the stroke in the brain.

Rehabilitation and timely intervention with speech therapy are often needed as part of the recovery process and helping people to restore cognitive function associated with:

Trouble finding words or getting words out
Problems understanding others
Difficulty with reading, writing or math
Inability to process long or unfamiliar words

Speech therapy is a particularly helpful tool in the stroke rehabilitation process as a licensed speech therapist is not only able to assess and help improve a patient’s communication skills, but they can also help people to learn new tools and adaptations that will help improve the ability to communicate going forward.

Value of Virtual Speech Therapy

Virtual speech therapy is especially helpful for patients of all ages who are recovering from stroke and may experience transportation challenges. Accessing speech therapy services from the comfort of home is discrete and convenient and can help improve quality of life.

Today, patients recovering from stroke have more options than ever before for health plan coverage of virtual speech therapy services. Great Speech is proud to partner with the following insurance plans:

Amerigroup NJ
Avmed Medicare FL
BCBSIL Medicare & commercial 
Careington 
CarePlus Medicare FL
Centivo 
Cigna Commercial 
Cigna Medicare Advantage 
Devoted Medicare FL
DialCare 
Geisinger 
Healthcare Highways 
Healthnet, a Centene company
Humana Medicare FL
MMM of Florida Medicare FL
Molina Medicare & Commercial FL
Molina Georgia 
Optum / NAMM California
United Healthcare Florida 
Wellcare GA
Zenith American

Additionally, Great Speech accepts HSA/FSA & private pay clients. 
Schedule your first session today to learn how virtual speech therapy can help during the stroke rehabilitation process.