How long does Recovery Take?

Last Friday I spoke at a Stroke Survivor's Club meeting. I spoke about aphasia and other speech therapy related topics.

The talk went well and at the end I opened the floor for questions. One of my first questions was from a lady (sitting next to her daughter) who had suffered a stroke 1.5 years ago.

Her question was, "How long does it take to fully recover from a stroke?". I looked at her and her daughter and said you both know the answer. I am sure you have heard it before.

The answer is - Recovery time is different for each individual.

No one and I mean no one can tell you how long recovery will take and to what extent full recovery can be achieved. The second part of that sentence is really important.

I spoke to someone yesterday who told me that a doctor had told them that their mother was too far post stroke to benefit from speech therapy. I disagree.

No one knows to what extent recovery can be made and no one knows how much time is required to achieve a full recovery.