Speech and Language

Introduction:
The Speech and Language Therapy Team works with people who have communication and/or dysphagia difficulties. Dysphagia means difficulties with eating and drinking. Below are some examples of the work that we do within Liaise.

Speech and Language Therapy Team:
Edna King-Newell, Lead Speech and Language Therapist
Lauren Manville, Senior Speech and Language Therapist
Andrea Fawcett, Senior Speech and Language Therapist

Case Study by Edna King-Newell – Lead Speech and Language Therapist
Our Speech and Language Therapy team has supported a lady who presented with difficulty and pain when swallowing. As this lady has had a history of a choking in the past, we worked closely with the care home manager and put in place guidelines for food modification and positioning strategies. Following hospital investigation, it was identified that the service user  had severely swollen tonsils and would need a tonsillectomy.

In the meantime, we observed and assessed her ability to manage various food textures and ultimately placed her on a pureed diet in line with IDDSI Level 4. Together with the cooperation from the care home manager and all of the staff, we are able to keep the service user safe and comfortable when eating and drinking. We also provided easy read information to support the service user so she was involved at all levels of decision-making. Special thanks to Lisa Clarke who went above and beyond to research pureed recipes and put together lots of information that we could share with the care home. Wiltshire Farm Foods were able to provide many free samples of complete meals to assist with dysphagia training and provided telephone support as to how we can access ready-made dysphagia specific meals. Thank you to Wiltshire Farm Foods!

Case Study by Andrea Fawcett – Senior Speech and Language Therapist
The Speech and Language Therapy team created a simple placement to assist a Service User at mealtimes. This visual support helps to encourage the Service User to slow down and not to overfill his mouth with food which could lead to a choking incident. The use of visual support assists in the management of dysphagia, alongside written guidelines for staff and on-going support from our Team.

Case Study by Lauren Manville – Senior Speech and Language Therapist
Speech and Language Therapy have been working closely with a service-user who has been experiencing an acute period of instability. This has been characterized by erratic, heightened and agitated behaviors, reduced appetite, lack of motivation to engage in activity, difficulty sleeping, and an increase in repetitive behaviours. SALT created a bespoke tool and devised a morning routine that encourages and supports a gentle and calm start to the morning. The aim is to optimize positive interactions which work to enhance the morning and set the tone for the day.

The tool was implemented and modelled to all staff including the manager, team leaders and support staff. A compliance checklist was provided to ensure the routine was followed and completed  daily to provide the consistency and sense of security that allowed the service-user to feel safe and with that calm.

The tool has been in use since early August and is having a noted positive impact upon the service user, in terms of engagement in activity, sense of awareness of the day, personal care, food intake and most prominently mood.