The Bridge Program

Speech therapy for the stretch after discharge, when the schedule falls apart.

Therapy usually ends before anyone feels ready.

Insurance approves a set number of visits and the number runs out. Or outpatient has a waitlist and the soonest opening is six weeks away. Meanwhile someone who was making real gains in rehab is home, and nothing is happening.

That gap is what this program is for.

—

What is the Bridge Program?

Four to six weeks of concentrated therapy, three hours a week, starting usually within a week of when you call.

You can pick how those three hours are delivered:

• In your home: Two 90-minute visits a week.

  • Please note: in-home visits are limited to parts of Hudson County, Essex County, Union County, Passaic County, and Bergen County:click here to check a map of the areas

  • Benefits: Longer sessions mean we can work in your actual kitchen or with your actual phone, and I can make hands-on adjustments that don't translate through a screen.

• Online. Up to four 45-minute sessions a week.

  • Benefits: More frequent, shorter, easier on high-fatigue days, and family can join from wherever they are.

Some families do a mix. One home visit plus online sessions in between is a common shape and often the most practical one. We'll work out what makes sense for you.

What a visit actually looks like

Not worksheets. We work on what you're trying to do, in the place you're trying to do it.

If the goal is answering the phone, we will practice on your phone, with the people who actually call. If it's ordering at the diner, we build the words for your order. If there's a communication device, we set it up where you'll use it and load it with your loved one's names, not a generic vocabulary set.

Care partner coaching is part of every visit, not an add-on. We’ll go over things like: What to do when a word won't come. How to make a conversation easier without taking it over. How the room itself can help or get in the way.

I make the practice materials between sessions, from your life, and we can make adjustments as we continue to work together.

This program will likely be a good option for you if…

• You've just been discharged and there's a gap before outpatient starts.

• Insurance approved fewer visits than you needed.

• You want more than once or twice a week for a period of time, then something sustainable after.

• There's a device or app nobody had time to set up properly.

• You're a year or more out and want a concentrated push rather than an open-ended plan.

This program will likely not be the right fit for you if…

• If you're already in an outpatient program at a good frequency. We can chat more about this, just reach out.

• If what you're hoping for is the communication someone had before the stroke. I can't promise the communication someone had before. What I've seen change is how much communication gets across successfully, and to whom, and how much work it takes to get there.

• Your schedule doesn’t work. There is practice between sessions and caregiver involvement. That might not be workable now due to your schedule in other therapies or different factors. That’s ok. We can start with a slower plan and increase frequency or length later.

What happens at the end of the program?

Most families step down to weekly online sessions once the block ends. We use the last in-home visit to set that up, so the tech is tested while I'm still there to fix it and we plan the next stretch together.

You can also repeat a block, or stop, or hand things back to an outpatient SLP when a spot opens or your insurance period renews. We’ll decide near the end, not now.

What does the program cost

The Bridge Program is private pay. I don't bill insurance for it.

The program is very customizable based on your needs, so factors such as how many weeks, how long each session is, how frequently we meet, and if we are doing in-home sessions (travel surcharge applies) will determine the cost.

After we have the chance to talk about your goals and needs, I can send you an estimate of the evaluation and the bridge program period. Once we complete the evaluation, I will send you a final estimate of anticipated costs.

I understand that cost is a real barrier. If the program isn’t an option for you, I can connect you with other services.

For referring professionals

The Bridge Program provides short-term intensive speech-language therapy for adults with aphasia, delivered in-home or via telehealth, at three hours per week for four to six weeks.

It's designed for patients discharging from inpatient rehab who face an outpatient waitlist, or whose authorized visits have been exhausted. Evaluations can usually be scheduled within a week.

Emily Losordo, M.S., CCC-SLP. Licensed in New Jersey. Private pay.

To refer, email emily@aphasiaco.com or call (201) 773-1418.