Hello Everyone~ Welcome to my Blog!
My name is Javanese but everyone
refers to me as “Jav”. I am Speech-Language Pathologist in Chicago, Illinois.
Our first dissertation blog assignment for EDD 9300 Methods of Inquiry course
is to create a dissertation blog and discuss our problem statement for our
dissertation. My particular area of research interest is Dysphagia diagnosis
and treatment. I work primarily in adult rehabilitation settings including,
skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. I typically provide Dysphagia
intervention services to patients with an Alzheimers diagnosis. Due to the
progressive nature of this disease, nutrition and hydration are commonly
affected. In addition, the ability to safely swallow and self-feed
independently diminishes. SLPs in skilled nursing and long-term care settings
play a critical role in treatment and management of Dysphagia with Alzheimer’s
patients. Our role within this population is to ensure diet toleration, safety and
to provide education to family and caregivers. But according to Curfman (2005),
the role of
the SLP will change over time because of the progressive nature of the dementia
disease process and its effect on swallowing function and nutrition. However,
due to the wide range of presenting symptoms and complexities of Alzheimers
patients suffering from Dysphagia, it’s difficult to determine what management,
intervention and/or evidence-based treatment strategies are effective and
appropriate for these patients. I can attest to this. When I initially began my
career as an SLP, I was intimidated by providing treatment services to
Alzheimer’s patients. I was so uncertain because each patient presented with
different Dysphagia symptoms and required different treatment strategies and
techniques. I felt unprepared for rehabilitating such a medically complex
population.
Which leads me to my problem
statement: Many Speech-Language Pathologists are unprepared in Dysphagia
therapeutic intervention and treatment among Alzheimer’s patients in skilled nursing
settings.
Curfman. S. (2005, August).
Managing dysphagia in residents with dementia: skilled intervention for a
common and troubling disorder. Nursing Homes. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3830/is_8_54/ai_n15338409/
24 Jan, 2012.
