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.
Jav, great job on your blog!! I like how you framed your problem statement by setting the tone for the reader!! That was very helpful. You did a nice job on your problem statement; it looks great! I like the background; it feels serene and as if your journey awaits you. My mother-in-law passed with Alzheimer's right after my husband and I got married; I never really knew her... I think your topic is important and I look forward to assisting you in this journey. Keep blogging your progress!!
ReplyDeleteI agree Jav, Alzeheimer's was a tough population to work dysphagia on. Physicians didn't want to give orders because the person was in decline and the outlook for improvement was poor, the person wasn't eating and the families were upset. Part of the reason I found it difficult to work with this population. Great blog, Jav!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Holly! Yes indeed this is a very tough population to work with. It's one of the only populations that has really "puzzled" me in evaluation and treatment in my career. However, I find that this assistance and intervention that we provide as SLP's to this population to be rewarding.
DeleteHi Jav,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic. It's amazing how much younger the patients are that we see who have progressed dementia these days, isn't it? And the types of dementia are expanding everyday it seems! Which type of dementia do you think you will focus on?
Thanks Gina! Yes, I totally agree! The population with Dementia diagnosis is getting much younger. For my research, I will focus primarily on Alzheimer's disease: early stages.
Delete@ DocResearch: Thanks so much for the feedback! I feel like my problem statement is still developing. I'm sorry to hear about your mother in law. My grandmother is in the early stages of Alzheimer's and it's difficult to watch the disease progress. Thank you for your assistance!
ReplyDelete