At Leanie Engelbrecht Speech Therapy Incorporated, we believe in making use of a holistic approach aimed at improving patients’ quality of life. This is reflected in the rehabilitation programmes we use when managing a range of communication and swallowing difficulties that our patients are dealing with. The impact of communication and swallowing disorders on a patient's life, and those of his or her loved ones, is often severe. Although we often cannot "cure" these disorders, we can assist in improving a patient’s quality of life as much as possible.
We are a hospital-based practice with a special interest in:
THE AMARYLLIS STORY
When I was employed as a newly qualified speech therapist at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, I could have never imagined how being in this profession would forever shape my life. Over the years I have realised what an privilege it is to be able to contribute to improving the quality of my patients’ lives through increasing their ability to eat and swallow safely, as well as communicate better, skills that are often negatively affected by life changing medical conditions such as cancer or a stroke.
I am deeply thankful for being granted the opportunity to serve – by offering support to patients and their families, and rehabilitating speech, language, voice and swallowing difficulties they experience to the best of my ability.
During my years at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, I gave an annual lecture to the 4th year medical students on voice disorders during their ENT (Ear-, Nose and Throat) clinical block in collaboration with Prof. Attie Mulder. The day after this lecture was typically the last day of the ENT clinical block, during which Prof. Mulder would present what later became known as the “Amaryllis lecture”. I attended it every year, and it deeply affected me as a therapist. During this lecture Prof. Mulder would remind us all of our purpose as medical professionals – not for money, status or recognition, but to serve and touch the lives of those we serve.
One of his patients, he told, one day gave him a red Amaryllis bulb from her garden to thank him for helping her in her time of illness and need. Thanking him for helping her heal and grow. For me, this sums up why we are placed on earth and why I became a speech therapist. To help people heal and grow. But the reverse is also true – as therapists, through our work, we also heal – and grow.
When I made the decision to leave Steve Biko Academic Hospital in 2015, after 15 years of serving and opening my own speech therapy practice, I decided to make the red Amaryllis flower emblem of my practice. My hope is that the flower will remind me, and my team of therapists and support staff, of why we are truly here and to adhere to the principles of the practice of care, healing and growth.
One of my first patients in private practice was an elderly lady who had a stroke and struggled with word-finding difficulties. I provided therapy at her home since she was staying alone and unable to travel to the office. She loved gardening, and when she saw me off after each session, we would slowly walk through her garden to my car. When our last session of her therapy program was done, she told me that although she paid me for therapy, money could not truly express the gratitude she felt for the understanding she experienced from her speech therapist. So, what she gave me as a way to say “thank you”, were (without any prior knowledge of my affinity for amaryllis) 3 amaryllis bulbs!!! Until this day, the bright red amaryllis still bloom in my garden, when they bloom and unfold their petals in September, they serve as a spectacular reminder of what speech therapy is all about!
The practice has a focus on the care of acutely ill patients admitted to hospital, where knowledge of swallowing, phonation, respiration and neurology is integrated to ensure optimum care of these patients.
We believe our passion for treating acutely ill patients to the best of our ability, helps prevent life threatening complications of dysphagia.
