By Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala  

Dr. Renato Parungao was a successful surgeon.He also traveled to the Philippines to repair cleft palates and treat thyroid conditions among some of the poorest residents on the southern end of the island.

Then on New Year's Eve in 2003 a blood vessel in his brain burst and he became one of the 700,000 Americans who have strokes each year. For him it meant losing his speech and partial paralysis.

"I was forced to retire. It is very frustrating because all the medical knowledge is intact up here," he said pointing to his head.

Thanks to an innovative therapy program at the University of Central Florida's Communication Disorder's Clinic, Parungoa is making progress in his recovery. He has been attending the clinic for three years, but this summer he was able to participate in a pilot program that provides patients with intensive therapy for a short amount of time and then provides opportunities for them in the community to practice what they've been learning.

"It's has helped me a lot," said the reserved Parungoa. "I am very grateful." 

The clinic is staffed with Clinical Educators and graduate students who treat a variety of disorders. It is the clinical centerpiece of the undergraduate and graduate programs in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at UCF and provides high-quality speech, language and hearing services to the local community.

Fellow participant, Uriah Nelson - a former professional soccer player, is equally thankful and smiles every time he pronounces a word.

"I couldn't talk at all. I used to never go out to the store or to eat," Nelson said about the first six months after his stroke in 2006. "People weren't patient. It was embarrassing. Now I go to store. The therapist here, they do good."

Janet Whiteside, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Clinical Educator and founder of the pilot program called Intensive Aphasia Program, said isolation is a major problem for stroke survivors. She's amazed at the progress many of the patients are making.

Research says traditional therapy - short sessions over a long period of time -- is necessary to help people regain skills after a stroke. But recent research suggests patients may increase their benefit and maintain their improvement with more intensive sessions over a shorter period of time.And a critical piece is re-integrating them back into the community.

"It's not always easy," Whiteside said. "People aren't always patient when they don't see an obvious disability."

Whiteside, Clinical Instructor Jane Hostetler, MA, CCC-SLP and five graduate students have been working with members of the community throughout the summer. Stroke survivors receive individual and group therapy Monday through Thursday, three hours a day, for an entire month.  Goals are based on assessed needs and the individual's perceived communication needs. One day a week they take a field trip to a facility on the UCF campus to practice what they are learning and confront what they might encounter in their everyday lives.

The participants have ordered coffee and lunch at dining facilities on campus. They have toured the Arboretum, bookstore and the stadium as well as visited the library and Institute of Simulation and Training in Research Parkway. Thegoal is to get them engaged and speaking.

"Empowering our clients to communicate in different environments with unfamiliar listeners is a very important part of our clients' rehabilitation,"Whiteside and Hostetler said. "This also gives our graduate students good experience that bridges what they learn in the classroom with what they will experience in clinical settings."

Graduate student Deidre Mears, of Altamonte Springs, agrees. She's been working with Nelson this summer. 

"In the clinic you see your client and what they are going through in that environment," Mears said. "But then you see them like this, in real life, in action, and it really tells you what they need and how effective strategies are or are not."

People of all ages have participated in the summer program. They include former CEOs, housewives, doctors, engineers and everything in between. It reflects the simple fact that the third-leading cause of death in the nation doesn't discriminate. About one-third of all cases are among people 65-years-old or younger.

"It can happen to anyone," Whiteside said. "It really can, but we can help a lot of our community take back their lives. That's what we are all about."

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