SPEECH THERAPY
Speech Therapy
Speech Therapy
The Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) or more commonly called a speech therapist specializes in the evaluation and treatment of swallowing, cognition/thinking skills and communication disorders.
The aim of the Speech Therapist is to improve a person’s quality of life through regaining the ability to eat and swallow, improving cognitive skills for increased independence, and helping to regain communication skills to express wants, needs, and ideas.
Speech Therapy plays an integral role in ventilator weaning. Speech Therapists often work with a ventilator patient to retrain and strengthen the muscles necessary in swallowing and speech. Bedside swallow exams allow a Speech Therapist to evaluate a patient’s current abilities, and working with Plaza’s Registered Dietician, can modify their diet accordingly. Speech Therapists can also help patients find the best way to communicate and goals may include training to use a speaking valve, strengthening throat muscles to make speech and voice easier, or learning to communicate through non-vocal means.
Having a tracheostomy can affect a patient’s eating or swallowing patterns. For some, it will require a comprehensive evaluation to determine if eating or drinking is achievable.
Speech Therapy also plays an integral role in trach and swallowing management. Speech Therapists will work with a trach patient to retrain and strengthen the muscles necessary in swallowing. Plaza Healthcare’s Speech Therapists are trained in fiberoptic endoscopy evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and use this procedure to assess the safety of a patients swallow. A FEES test can help assess aspiration and choking risk. Based on the FEES result, the Speech Therapist will work with Plaza’s Registered Dietician and the pulmonology team to develop a diet with the safest consistency and nutritional value to maximize a person’s recovery while maintaining a healthy airway.