Beyond High C: Redefining Recovery for Aphasia, Stroke, and Parkinson’s Survivors with Kiersten Kanaster - Episode 141

Recovery doesn’t have to be a lonely road. In this uplifting episode of the Caregiver Relief Podcast, host Diane Carbo sits down with Kiersten Kanaster, the visionary founder of Beyond High C. Together, they explore how the transformative power of music, rhythm, and community can unlock communication and restore confidence for those living with aphasia, brain injuries, and neurological conditions.

🎧 Why You Should Listen

When traditional therapy ends, many survivors are left "sitting quietly on the couch". This episode reveals a joyful alternative that bridges the gap between clinical rehabilitation and lifelong recovery. You’ll learn how singing and structured social practice can circumvent brain injuries to help loved ones find their voices again.

📝 Episode Highlights

• The "Musical Backdoor" to Speech: Discover the phenomenon of why survivors who struggle to speak can often sing lyrics perfectly.
• The Power of Rhythm: Learn how simple techniques like tapping syllables and rhythmic loops act as a "skeleton" for words to drop onto.
• Building a "Mistake-Friendly" Community: How Beyond High C creates a non-threatening environment where making mistakes is part of the progress.
• Real Results, Real Hope: Inspiring stories of survivors—even those 25 years post-stroke—making measurable breakthroughs in communication.
• Fighting Social Isolation: The importance of the "human connection" in preventing the frustration and withdrawal that often follow a diagnosis.

🗂️ Podcast Outline

I. Introduction to Beyond High C

• Meet Kiersten Kanaster: From professional musical theater and voice pedagogy to speech recovery innovator.
• The inspiration: Helping a student with a brain injury rediscover expression through song.

II. The Science and Art of the Program

• How melody and rhythm "circumvent" damaged areas of the brain.
• The "Reset" technique: Helping advanced students manage anxiety when a word gets stuck.

III. A Glimpse Inside the Sessions

• Warm-ups involving "mini-assignments," choreography, and trivia.
• Using familiar favorites like the Golden Girls theme to spark memory and engagement.
• Different levels of care, from "Few Words" groups to advanced conversationalists.

IV. Addressing the Healthcare Gap

• The reality of early discharge and the "Silver Tsunami".
• Why Beyond High C is designed to be an affordable, lifelong support system.

V. Moving Forward

• Success stories: Moving from "perseveration" to clear "Yes" and "No" responses.
• The "No Plateau" philosophy: Progress is always possible.

✨ Connect & Recover

"Progress equals happiness. If people are making progress on their goals... it affects your mood, your attitude, your mindset, and what you are capable of." — Kiersten Kanaster

• Visit the Website: beyondhighc.com (HIGH and the letter C)
• Watch on YouTube: Search "Beyond High C" for tips and exercises.

Podcast Episode Transcript

Diane: Welcome to the Caregiver Relief Podcast, where we bring real conversations, expert insights, and inspiring stories from those helping caregivers and their loved ones thrive. I'm your host Diane Carbo, an rn, and today's episode Beyond High Sea.

Redefining recovery for aphasia, stroke, and Parkinson's survivors. Recovering communication and confidence after a stroke brain injury or diagnosis like Parkinson's disease can be a continued lifelong journey. One that takes creativity, patience, and community support. Today we're diving into how music and structured speech practice can make that journey not only effective but joyful.

My guest, Kiersten Kanaster, is the founder of Beyond High C, a nationwide program offering personalized live conversation practice for stroke survivors, brain injury survivors, and people with aphasia, Parkinson's and other neurological conditions. With a Master's degree in voice pedagogy from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.

Kiersten brings a remarkable blend of science, artistry, and compassion to her work, drawing on her experience as a singing teacher, music educator. Kindergarten teacher and professional music theater actor, she has created engaging, affirming, and progress driven sessions that help participants stay motivated and connected.

Diane: Kiersten, thank you so much for spending some time with us today to introduce this really, unique way of approaching speech therapy for those suffering from aphasia.

Kiersten: Thank you so much for having me with you. I'm very excited to, to talk with you and to share with you what it is we do. I,Y

Diane: I'm looking forward to it.

Before we dive in though, can you share a bit about your musical background and what you drew to vo? What drew you to voice and performance in the first place?

Kiersten: yes I can. I have a, so I have a master's degree. I studied classical singing. In graduate school and I went to a school where there were only singers and people who were learning to conduct choirs and people who were accompanying singers either on the organ or the piano.

And a lot of people went on to become church musicians and classical musicians and and some speech therapists came from there too, because of the. Voice pedagogy, voice science, track. So I fell in love with singing and theater and performing arts. When I was really small. I was raised by my grandmother and she and her friends would take a tour bus and go into downtown Los Angeles to see the touring companies of, Broadway shows.

Diane: And

Kiersten: so she would bring me. I would be one of, just a few little kids on the bus, and I would sit on her lap because I could not see in my own seat and every piece of it, she told me, I don't even remember some of this. She said I was glued from the moment the orchestra began warming up, and when I came home, I could sing all the songs.

from that point, I just, I really fell in love with singing and theater and that, that is what initially drew me to it. and it really got me through, challenging times in childhood, singing and. Performing in choir. Absolutely. Yeah.

Diane: Now you created Beyond High C, and I'd like you to share your story about how you started it and what inspired this incredible program.

Kiersten: Good. I am excited to tell you. So I was, teaching, singing lessons and, a gentleman came to, to me for singing lessons. And I didn't realize that he had a brain injury. He and his wife, they didn't tell me we had our first lesson, and he couldn't follow anything I was asking him to do. He and I was worried and stressed and I wasn't serving him, and I was, I couldn't figure out, once I finally understood.

What was happening and they explained that he had a brain injury and he was so passionate about wanting to sing, feeling the need. he just felt drawn to expressing himself in that way after the injury. But it really inspired me to think, what could I do to adjust what I would normally do with a singing student to accommodate him and help him?

Follow me and gain the things from our working together that would serve him and serve his goals. And it became such an interesting puzzle. I just, I loved it and I loved watching the impact it had on him. And he was so pleased. And we were working together in person and I moved cross country from California all the way to Virginia.

So our time was over. I get a call about a month later from his wife saying, this is not working. We are trying other teachers. He is very upset. They're not. They want him to do things he can't do. He's agitated and we have to get on Skype. At that time, it was Skype that people were trying to meet on. Yes, and I told her, I don't think that's gonna work, but I'll try it Uhhuh.

And I was shocked to see it did work. So we continued on Skype and I realized, gosh, if this works on Skype and I love this and serve him so well, maybe there's room for others. So I went to every, every support group, brain Injury Support group in the state of Virginia with my new home. 13 of them.

I brought drums and I brought my speakers and I, we did music, and I asked them all what. What do you need? What would help you, to recover better? how could what we're doing, help you? And they, I listened to survivors and their families, the people running the support groups, and that's what prompted me to create beyond High C as a collection of group personalized live group practices.

Because number one, they wanted to be together. They wanted to be with others who were facing the same challenges they face. And they wanted to get better. And, through practice is an amazing way to do that.

Diane: Can you explain how singing helps people with aphasia, Parkinson's or stroke recover their communication abilities?

Can you explain the, process in the brain where, you may not be able to speak, but you can sing?

Kiersten: Yeah, it's a phenomenon that a lot of people have pointed out. A lot of people have noticed that, gosh, my loved one is having trouble saying anything or saying many things. But if there's a song that they knew from before, they can sing all the lyrics.

Yes, and I'll tell you, I'm not a scientist and I'm not a clinician, but I have read. I've spoken with a lot. I get a chance to speak with a lot of speech therapists and people who work in physical, medicine and rehabilitation, and I know that there is another part of the brain that is processing the element that has to do with the music and the singing.

And so oftentimes, and they'll do that in speech therapy, music therapy. Yeah. They will use melody and rhythm to help elicit speech by almost circumventing, going around and pulling on that other side, that other processing. That's where the music, would come into play, engaging that, and. So I've taken that simple idea.

rhythm. Oh my goodness. They'll do it in melodic intonation therapy where they're tapping syllables with their left hand trying to get the words to come out. And there's a rhythm to everything. There's a rhythm to every word that's said, every idea that flows out, and if they can key into that rhythm.

I notice that it. Ends up acting a lot like, a framework, like a skeleton by which they can drop their words and their ideas onto,on this framework that's That the rhythm sets up for them.

Diane: gimme an example of a specific technique or an exercise that you use to bridge the music and therapy.

Kiersten: With my, in my classes where people are saying few words We'll begin class by, tapping out hello. Sometimes they can't say hello. Sometimes we're just saying yeah. Or something We'll feel the rhythm. I'll ask them to move their hand cross across their body, across the midline.

There's a, won't get into that in depth right this minute, but can go or tapping their chest just to feel the rhythm or tapping their leg. And we'll just get into a loop where we'll say hello to everybody who's in class. And we'll do it. So I would say, I'll say hello Diane. Hello Diane.

Then we might go to the next person. Maybe it's Judy. Hello Judy. Hello Judy. And we get a rhythm going. We don't break it. We don't stop it. Right? People can feel it. They're hearing it, they're tuning into what's happening and they get out the words they can in rhythm. As they're feeling it physically with their body and we can do that for everything.

Somebody has a long word they're trying to say, we'll do the same thing. We'll tap it out. We just, were talking about the word in a more advanced class destination, so I'd have everybody in a rhythm, a quick loop destination, everybody destination. Destination. Sometimes I'll have them put up their fingers.

I'll put up my fingers so they can see the syllables going by in rhythm. Okay. And that really helps the words flow out. it's shocking how well it works and it's backed by science. There are a lot of, there've been a lot of studies done too to justify that.

Diane: The power of music is astonishing.

I have worked in dementia care units where we had people in, that are in the later stages of dementia and they are, withdrawn, nonresponsive. And there are times when we've had the family or had someone come in to play the music that they liked. I have actually seen people that have been non re nonresponsive or reactive for.

A year or longer, all of a sudden start singing their Yeah. Tho those words. So the power of music is amazing and people don't understand it, and that's why I love your, approach to this because number one, it's fun. And it's such a positive thing and, you do it in such a non-threatening way. And I love that because so many people with aphasia that I have met are very self-conscious about, how they interact.

And they seem to want to be withdrawn and you bring them out of their shell and give them the ability to make connections, the human connection between others in their environment. And I think that's awesome.

Kiersten: Thank you so much. That is my number one goal. I, that we are in the business of equipping people with confidence.

Just like you said, they just so easy to, it's terrifying. I can't imagine how scary it must be. Try to communicate. You're not sure how, what will come out. Yes. How it will sound. But there is a very, I have learned over the years there are patterns and there is a way to help people. People practice in a way that gives them some reliance on their own ability to manage that uhhuh even if it goes wrong.

And that really builds to watch confidence build and people speak out that we're silent is, it really is what gets me up in the morning. It's very gratifying.

Diane: Can you describe what a typical beyond high C session looks like and feels like for the participants?

Kiersten: Yes. So like you said, and I, that is my goals for it to be upbeat, positive, personalized, but non-threatening.

Yeah. So I tell them too, which is a tall order. When I have somebody new that comes onto my team and I'm explaining, this is how we do, this is what we do. It's a tall order. I tell them my goal is to help you feel comfortable making mistakes, trying your words. Get you in a comfortable place. And then once you are walk, you just to the edge of that comfort where you can take risks knowing that we're a warm place, who cares?

We, we can encourage and guide you. And so a typical class, beyond high C conversation classes an hour long and, it starts, bless you. It starts with a, starts with. Welcoming people in. Now excitingly, this has taken some time to develop, but at the beginning of a lot of classes, I'm giving a quick fire, reminder to some people over things that they may have said or tried to say last time in last class.

They may get a little bit, a tiny little mini assignment to practice. Okay. Come back and hit it again at the top of class. I can't tell you the difference that makes for skill improvement. it's really wonderful. And they like to do that. They like a little trivia. Remember, what did we say? He dressed as when he was six years old for Halloween.

They're so excited to announce it was pepperoni pizza or what have you. Yes. Yeah. And that does a couple of things that, it's, oh gosh, it's, it just targets so many wonderful things and it makes everybody feel seen and heard. That we're not just talking about random things, but we're talking about people's experiences in life and the things they've gone through and their opinions, keeping it all positive.

So after we, do that, we'll do a quick little warmup, which is rhythmic may involve relaxing shoulders or their head, or, breathing, breathing into release tension so they could get their words to flow. Oftentimes too, I'll bring in. a little warmup that involves music. So we may be, we're gonna be moving, doing certain simple choreography uhhuh to, we'll do it on our own, feeling the rhythm, and then we'll put it with music so they can tune in to the external beat and light up their choreography.

And maybe some words with that. we have a song. Like you said, these songs from before, people might have known these songs from before. I'm mindful what I choose. We did, this week we're actually doing the song they used for the theme song to the Golden Girls.

Diane: Oh, yes. Thank you for being,

Kiersten: I already know what it's, you know it.

That's right. And so as soon as Honey, I'm a golden girl. There you go. And so that gets them excited. They're remembering that, oh, that show You saw the show. I saw that show. Oh, I, and it sparks a lot of good things. So we'll engage with the song. I put the lyrics on the screen. Try to sing along, they can hum along, or they, I just tell them, if you can't get all the words, you can't get any of the words, just la.

That still has really good benefit, especially if they're moving their hand or tapping to the beat. Then we take a little break and we have conversation depending on the level, because I have all different levels of class from beginners who could say few words. People who can say phrases and words.

And I have very advanced classes that can really articulate a story well. And maybe they're trying to bring their ideas up faster. Maybe they're trying to articulate more clearly, as they speak faster. So we have a conversation that's very personalized, and I was telling you before we got started, I've got a prompt, a discussion prompt every week because,we have to have a starting point.

Yes. They don't have to dis discuss it, but I try, I'm very mindful of what I have. I make it positive, something they can relate their personal experience to. And it usually brings out some really funny stories. Yeah.

Diane: I imagine your kindergarten teacher role comes out, didn't they? Making, because you're trying to make everybody, happy and inclusive.

yeah. I want, I, when I first reached out to you, I was looking for a solution. We have. Public health crisis in the country. we have more seniors than youth, and we, Medicare reimbursement, it has now so low that, people with Medicare Advantage are being discharged so early. to home and, it's, and the, those with traditional Medicare are also being sent home.

They're able to stay a little longer, but the therapies aren't provided, and most people with most people don't understand if you've had a stroke or a brain injury or a neurological condition. You have absolutely a lifelong, you have to work at your speech or whatever your physical abilities. If you wanna maintain them, you have to work at it to keep them at a base level.

or you lose it, if you don't use it, you lose it. So I was looking for a solution to provide to my listeners that are struggling with, with HA being discharged. So early home care only is, has also been cut. So people are not getting the, care that they need and then they sit there.

They're frustrated because they aren't improving. And I saw, I heard about Beyond High C and I thought, boy, and you really do help fill the gap, because you do so much. I know you work closely with, speech and language pathologists and clinicians. How has their input shaped your program?

Kiersten: Good question.

Good question. And be, and before I answer that, I just wanna say I so appreciate you, noticing that's the goal. And I've just from talking to families I've, I have the same, understanding that you have that

Diane: Yeah. There

Kiersten: is a huge gap there that

Diane: people

Kiersten: are being sent home to sit quietly on the couch.

Yes. progress gets stunted and yes, it's a very frustrating thing. And so that is where I intend for beyond high C to fit. We should be what? Follow speech therapy as an ongoing support, and guiding yes. Place to come. And, your question was. How do, how has the input of speech language pathologist Yeah.

Impacted what we do? Yes. it's been very exciting to have them. they'll come and sit in, speech path. language pathologists may come and sit in on class. They've made observations and the most powerful thing that's helped me, especially early on, they would say after to me, they would say, I saw you do.

this or that.

And for example, with people who were working and focused on brain injury survivors, they would say, I notice you're giving them an instruction. And then you're asking them to watch the lyrics going by. Then they have to follow your directions, follow you, watch the words.

Do what you're asking with your hand. And that is so good for executive functioning, for example. So what they're able to do is bring together the elements they're watching happen and then say, this is what's in my training and my education that I can see because of my filter. Why? Why what you're doing is working for them, and I don't have that background.

So they're really filling in that missing component.

Diane: as an old rehab nurse, I just love this. I do, and I really applaud you for providing a solution at a time when we are desperately needing it. With the silver tsunami, we have more seniors than ever before, and, the family caregiver has the responsibility placed on them to provide services and treatments.

Once provided by healthcare providers and, your solution to speech is, not only amazing, but it's, we are moving to a cost sharing plan in our health system as well. So people are more personally responsible financially for receiving the needed treatments and therapies and services, than ever before because that's the way things have been set up through our.

Present broken, terribly broken healthcare system. people are shocked when they hear that, They are being charged 200 to 400 or $500 a day to be in a rehab or skilled care under Medicare Advantage. And so they go home way too soon. And, and they sit there, and like you said, they, they become socially isolated.

They become increasingly frustrated. There's behavior problems that occur because people can't communicate well. And,I just found your, beyond high C and I thought this is, I have to share this with my listeners because our seniors and their family caregivers need to know that there are alternatives out there that will help them improve and, they're, easily affordable for a lot, most people.

can you give me a, a. Talk about a few changes or breakthroughs you have seen among your participants.

Kiersten: Oh my gosh, yes I can. And and that's, when people are coming, when people are coming to inquire about beyond High C and they find out, what the cost is, they, a lot of times they are relieved.

Yes. That it, my, the model here is that this should be scalable. There should be tens of thousands of people in classes and Yes. so I keep the costs, quite minimal. I try very hard. oh my gosh, the changes actually are the reason why I have so many levels of class, because people would progress.

From one level to the next level, and I would have to go create a more advanced class to serve them or they would just, so it's been a really wonderful thing. I just had to do it not long ago at all. The most advanced class. So breakthroughs. I've seen breakthroughs, believe it or not, there's a gentleman who is in my, my few words class when he got to class.

To answer, to say hello or to say yes or no. Not only was he not, he was making sounds, but you couldn't understand what it was. It wasn't even the right number of syllables. So even just to say the word no, which just has one syllable, it would be no. I mean it, it would just go on.

Diane: It would perseverate.

Yeah.

Kiersten: yeah. There you go. See, thanks for the medical training over there. Education.

Diane: I'm more than just a pretty face that kid. I bet you're,

Kiersten: I know things. Oh, you're funny. That's good. So what we would do with all this rhythm. With all this rhythm. So we'd ask questions. I was telling you our topics this week, class being, we are talking about, do you prefer to be on time or early or do you run a few minutes late?

And why? So I would ask him. Do you like to be on time? And if he were to say no. I would say, I think you're saying no. And I got that and we got him to a place where he could put his thumb up or his thumb down, Uhhuh, which he was not, doing,he was not doing in rou in a routine before.

So that's become a very clear routine and nodding his head. That wasn't happening before either. So now he can give us, so if he says no, we know clearly, and then as a whole team, and the class loves this, who doesn't love audience participation, right? We do a tremendous amount of that. It is not a lot of sitting around listening to everybody.

So we're all saying, everybody say with him,no. Do that again? No. So that as you're putting the

Diane: thumbs down

Kiersten: Yeah. Yeah. With this thumbs down and what it is getting him, he's hearing, oh, that's just got one beef. no. So he's really, it's going into his mind, into his body. And now I'm very proud to say, just this week, it's been happening for a few weeks Now when I ask him, he can say no.

Oh. Instead of. that's just. For

Diane: people I have cared for brain injured stroke victims almost my whole life. I've been a nurse for 54 years and I have to tell you that I know that little word no, is so we take it for granted. But you have just given that gentleman the ability to. To say something, and give his opinion, even if it's just, an emphatic no.

And I love that because you, 'cause what you are doing is emphasized in connection. you people are seeing and supporting one another online. that's a really important social element that has elevated him to, at least they can say yes or no. do you wanna wear y this or this one, is this a yes or no?

And he can go, no. or thumbs up. Yes. that's impressive to me. and it will increase over time if he continues to work. And it sounds like, he will be encouraged because he is seeing improvement.

Kiersten: You are exactly right. And that builds momentum. Yeah. So then they wanna know, what else can I do then?

Yes. And boy, that, that is just such a powerful thing to have happen, to watch people do that. And they will, they'll go on to the next step, what else do I wanna try to achieve? Then they'll go to the next step. And for the, for people that are in a higher class, more advanced, it might be. I'm a big proponent of something I call the reset.

And for a lot of people, like you were describing, they're very anxious, nervous, worried, trying to get their words out. And some of them have developed, a lot of them have developed a habit of I call it tap dancing while they're trying to wait for their idea. Word or idea to come out.

Yeah. And I have found over time that really stops. No. The connection between their mind and their muscles really cannot line up when they're tap dancing. They need all the bandwidth, right? All, all hands on deck to that, that one connection as they're trying to get the words out. So a lot of people in the more advanced classes.

We, we help and practice and guide them to what do you need to do when the word is stuck? What is your personal way to get calm? Get positive as you think. You probably can do it if you try and get the word out. Take that tiny little pause. And I have watched so many people go from, let's say, intermediate to Quite advanced because they've learned to master that in themselves. Oh, the word is stuck. Here's how I'm gonna handle it. Gonna go,

Diane: the other approach that you do, because you put the social element in it where they're in a group. I can see people that are farther advanced, encourage, that will encourage their, what they're, How they've advanced and improved will encourage beginners. And beginners are looking at,I can do this if they can do it. And,I just love that because it's peer pressure, but it's also in a comfortable, non-threatening setting. And I think that, so many would benefit from that.

Kiersten: Oh my goodness.

I would really like to just, I'd like for you to be with me every day Please. Because you just, you really. You really understand, Diane, the things that you are, saying back to me, that is exactly what I see and that becomes my goal and what you described. I love that peer pressure. I tell them, you rise together.

Yes. And that happens. I'll see one or two of them in class start making huge strides. Yes. And then everybody else goes. I want to do that too. Yeah. How do I get up there and then they pull one another along? I have goosebumps on my leg thinking about it because Yes, it's, it works and because people know we wanna hear, what do you have to say?

This is what he said. What do you think? And people really, they know that people care about what they have to say and that they will support them. Rising to their highest level and they do, they cheerlead one another and they inspire continuously. They inspire one another. And it's a thing. I can see that happening.

Diane: Yeah, you are right. the lower ones, the lower non few words, people, I can see them being, wanting to be motivated for more and, to improve. I just love that. And, one of the things I want my listeners to know is, it, I remind them is this is an ongoing, lifelong project of, Work, whether it's physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy, when you've had a brain injury or have a neurological condition or, have had a stroke.

Your bo your baseline of how you function has changed and you still have the ability to make improvements if you're willing to put the effort in, and that's really important.

Kiersten: Yes. I agree. And it's, and people happiness. I do love Tony Robbins, I will say, and me too. Do you, I've heard Tony Robbins say progress equals happiness.

Yeah. And if people are making progress on their goals, they're better today than they were yesterday. They feel happier. And it affects everything. It affects your mood, your attitude, your mindset, and what you are capable of. It's really important.

Diane: How are caregivers or family members, what are they, what do they see when they, their loved ones participate in beyond high C?

Kiersten: Oh my gosh. I will tell you that when I'm having a rough day, Uhhuh, I just think about the things that they say to me.

Diane: Uhhuh,

Kiersten: they are, oh gosh, I wish I had a couple of quotes for you. They say the most beautiful things. Yeah. They. Say that, their loved ones have hope.

Diane: Yep. That

Kiersten: their loved ones are feeling so positive and so willing to try and so motivated yes.

to take the next step and to engage. I'll tell you, they over the, I would say whatever stage, whatever level their loved ones are. Engaging more with the family, engaging more in life, jumping into communication, more on whatever level they're working on. And that's a big piece of feedback I get usually with a lot of just kind words.

And a lot of it's so gratifying because they'll share with us, very personal things about what they're struggling with and they really feel like we care deeply about them and their family and we do. And I think that serves the person who's participating in class and the family.

the whole family too.

Diane: people that have communication problems. Such as aphasia, or other disorders. they really are invisible to the, their other families. They'll have, you'll have a family member that'll say, this is what they're saying. And they're, and there's such frustration and many just give up and just sit quietly, or act out because they're frustrated that they're not included.

I think what you're doing is. Just amazing work, and it's such a positive way to do it. for those listening our caregivers, survivors or clinicians, what message of hope or encouragement would you like to leave them about? recovery and communication?

Kiersten: I know I've heard some, clinicians that I respect a lot say there's no plateau.

Yes. And I would say that I. In my experience, I've been doing this nearly 10 years,

Diane: Uhhuh, I

Kiersten: have watched people, even people who had a stroke 25 years ago. Yes. Make progress today. So what I want, I would love to leave people with the fact that progress is possible. Yes. And that, and that real connection and real hope and real.

Self-reliance on, on, to some degree with someone's communication is a real possibility. and once that becomes a reality for their loved one. I just think it probably creates a springboard into other things. It's, there's so much hope, there's so much possibility and there's so much potential in what that could bring.

To the quality, and that's

Diane: true of speech and physical therapy as well. And I want my listeners to know you. if you have a family member, these are great. It's a good attitude to have that you can always improve.

Kiersten: Yes.

Diane: So how do they find you?

Kiersten: Good question. I've got a website. I've got a website, and I also have a YouTube channel.

And the name of our program is Beyond High C. So our website is beyond high c.com, and it's like the high note. So it's HIGH and a letter C beyond high c.com. And our YouTube channel is beyond high C. So we have motivation and tips and exercises on YouTube and. On our website beyond high c.com, you could see the, the conversation class and then a supplemental thing that I have added by request.

Those are the ways that we support people and it's all personalized. It's live and it, and it's all online, everyone, so you can be anywhere. We have people across the us. We have people in Canada, we have people in the uk. I've had people in, I've had people in India and in China before, in the middle of the night.

Diane: I would believe that. Yeah. What I laugh is we all speak the same English, but the cadence is different. Like people from India say it different, they're faster. And I bet that's challenging in some ways. But,I en I enjoyed the diversity of language, and that accents and stuff. for those listening, I want you to know, contact information.

For Kiersten will be and her beyond high seat program will be in on our website and in the show notes. Now to my family caregivers out there, you are the most important part of the caregiving equation. Without you, it all falls apart. So please learn to be gentle with yourself. Practice self-care every day because you are worth it.