Description of a team approach to the rehabilitation of the laryngectomized speaker.

This article describes the multi-disciplinary approach to rehabilitation of the laryngectomee followed by the Michigan Cancer Foundation-Wayne State University Laryngectomee Clinic. The program serves a patient population in excess of 100 each year in a total rehabilitation paradigm. The rehabilitation effort centers around an intensive speech rehabilitation program encompassing as much as 10 hours of speech therapy per week. This effort is supplemented by a professional staff including a psychologist, social work staff, audiologist, public health nurse, vocational rehabilitation specialist, and a trained laryngectomized esophageal speech teacher. The contribution of each member of the team and the benefits of a unified approach are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]