My dad has just finished doing a three-week intensive speech program through North Memorial
Hospital.  He went every morning from 9:00 to 12:30.  When he got home, he wasn't
as tired as he used to be, so he usually still had energy to take a walk, go to a
movie, and...do more speech exercises!  The program even gave him homework, which took him
about an hour/day.  The homework involved taking a mix of words and
turning them into sentences, or he was given a category such as 'grocery store'
and then he had to think of five other words that are associated with a grocery store.
Or, he read an article with two missing words per sentence, and then he
had to come up with words that make sense.

He is getting a lot better at doing exercises like the ones he is doing now.  One year ago, he
probably wouldn't have been able to do any of this.

His silent reading is also getting a lot better.  He reads more and more literature
and newspapers, and says it's getting easier.  Currently he is reading the book 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' as well as a National Geographic history book that he received on Father's Day.
 He also spends time going to khanacademy.com on his iPad and listening to various lectures.  His
favorites are the ones on astronomy.

Ever since his stroke, he has said he feels so foggy in his head, this makes it difficult for him to concentrate and think clearly.  A few months ago my mother
made a chart so he can rate his fogginess every day.  (His cousin's idea.  :D ) 
Over the last few months (especially this past one) he says that his fogginess has greatly improved.
There isn't really an explanation for this except that he is getting better, as my dad says, "Slowly, but surely!"