Development of an interactive and motivating home-based speech and language therapy platform for stroke survivors

64%的中风幸存者有沟通困难，包括言语不清、声音安静和沙哑，以及难以理解他人或表达自己。这些困难推迟了外出社交的快乐和自信，导致抑郁风险增加，独立性和生活质量下降。研究表明，强化语言训练（每天45分钟，每周5天）有助于提高语言恢复能力。然而，公共医疗系统无法应对日益增长的需求，导致大多数患者等待数月的时间和治疗服务不足。因此，许多中风幸存者不得不忍受这些使人衰弱的语言障碍。“美丽之声”一直在开发一种数字私人教练，帮助患者在家中继续进行高质量的语言训练，旨在最大限度地提高治疗效果，同时减轻护理人员和医疗保健专业人员的负担。此外，通过提供用户的语音质量信息，“美丽的声音”可以让患者更好地了解自己的语音问题，帮助他们监控和自我管理自己的状况，并更容易与专业人士沟通。“美丽的声音”还可以帮助语言治疗师更有效地评估患者的病情并做出临床决定。作为一个基于计算机的家庭语音培训平台，这个解决方案最大的挑战之一是创建一个不仅有效，而且吸引和激励患者每天使用的培训。这是这个项目的核心问题：如何让家庭语言训练对病人、家属和护理人员来说更有趣？我们将与谢菲尔德哈勒姆大学的Lab4Living合作，为中风幸存者及其护理人员举办研讨会和活动，以确定和测试可以增强用户参与度和对平台的依从性的关键功能。在6个月的时间里，15名志愿者将协助我们，在现实生活中共同设计和测试解决方案。将探讨的主题包括练习的游戏化，以社区为基础的互动和现实生活中的实践活动。研究结果将有助于“好声音”平台的训练活动变得更有吸引力和激励，从而更好地在家中进行语言康复。因此，提高患者在日常生活中的独立性、自信心和社交能力，同时降低NHS和家庭的成本。

64% of stroke survivors have communication difficulties including slurred speech, quiet and hoarse voice, and difficulty understanding others or expressing themselves. These difficulties put off the joy and confidence to get out and socialise, leading to an increased risk of depression and reduced independence and quality of life.Studies have shown that intensive speech training (45 minutes of speech training per day and 5 days a week) helps improve speech recovery. However, the public healthcare system cannot cope with the growing demands, resulting in months of waiting time and insufficient treatment services for most patients. As a result, many stroke survivors have to live with these debilitating speech impairments.Beautiful Voice has been developing a digital personal coach to help patients continue high-quality speech training at home, aiming to maximise therapy outcomes while reducing the burden on carers and healthcare professionals. Additionally, by providing information about users' speech quality, Beautiful Voice allows patients to understand their speech issues better, helping them monitor and self-manage their conditions, and communicate with professionals more easily. Beautiful Voice also assists speech and language therapists to more efficiently assess patients' conditions and make clinical decisions.As a computer-based home speech training platform, one of the biggest challenges for this solution is to create training that is not only effective but also engaging and motivating for patients to use on a daily basis. This is the central question for this project: how can home speech training be more fun for patients, families and carers?In collaboration with Lab4Living from Sheffield Hallam University, we will conduct workshops and activities with stroke survivors and their carers to identify and test key features that can enhance user engagement and adherence to the platform. Over the course of 6 months, 15 volunteers will assist us in this, codesigning and testing solutions in real life. Topics that will be explored include gamification of exercises, community-based interactions, and real-life practice activities.The study findings will help Beautiful Voice improve the platform training activities to be more engaging and motivating, which leads to better speech rehabilitation at home. Thus, improving patients' independence, confidence and ability to socialise in daily lives, as well as reducing costs for the NHS and households.