Plena Speech Pathologists Laura Blasdale and Stefanie Gani had the opportunity to attend the annual Speech Pathology Australia conference in Perth this year.  

With continuous professional development for speech pathologists important for providing safe, effective and culturally responsive services, Plena supports its clinicians to stay up to date on the latest research and thinking around evidence-based therapy and treatment.  

In contrast to previous conferences, many of the presentations in 2024 featured new research on how to support adults with communication and swallowing difficulties.  

With over one million Australians experiencing communication or swallowing difficulties at some point in their lives, we are passionate about the role speech pathology plays in enhancing overall confidence, wellbeing and dignity. 

A true highlight of the event was keynote speaker Maggie-Lee Huckabee. Maggie-Lee is much admired by many adult-servicing Speech Pathologists, and her presentation focused on the evolution of research around skills–based swallow training, complementing the current knowledge we have around strengths–based swallow training.  

This new body of evidence adds to our toolkit and provides significant consideration for future practice in swallow rehabilitation. 

Another highlight was a study conducted at a local hospital highlighting the human-life, wellbeing and cost savings of supporting patients oral hygiene by brushing twice a day. This research adds to a growing body of evidence that shows that the incidence of aspiration pneumonia is significantly reduced in people with clean mouths. It highlighted the need to support hospitals and aged care facilities with education on how to support someone to brush their teeth, when they’re unable to do so independently.  

In line with recommendations in the incoming strengthened standards, this showcases the need for diligent oral health care for all residents living in care. Plena Speech Pathologists are able to support staff in training for this skill. 

The final talk for the conference highlighted ethical considerations around the use of AI in speech pathology. The lively debate concluded that it should be considered as an adjunct to the work of speech pathologists, not a replacement – allowing us to work smarter not harder, while offering individuals access to unsupported aids to assist with everyday tasks.  

Plena Speech Pathologists provide services to directly to individuals requiring support, and also work closely with residential aged care facilities to support education and best practice amongst their clinical and care teams.  

If you’d like to learn more about how a Plena Speech Pathologist can support you, get in touch with our friendly team.  

March 2024 will see the return of our highly valued Dietetic and Speech Pathology in person workshops ‘Sip and Swallow: Every Mouthful Matters’ across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

These workshops are suitable for those working across care, clinical, catering and quality, with a focus on: 

• Improving nutrition through a food first approach 
• Avoiding unplanned weight loss 
• Supporting people living with swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) 
• Providing texture modified foods and drinks that are IDDSI compliant 
• Preventing aspiration pneumonia and choking incidents 

Registrations are currently open for our 1 day – Sip and Swallow: Every Mouthful Matters workshops across the country. In order to access our early bird offer, be sure to register before Friday 9th February 2024. 

Save these dates & sign up now.

Brisbane: Thursday March 7 | 8am – 4pm
Download the event flyer, here

Did you know that up to 22% of adults aged 50 and above living in the community* and more than 60% of individuals residing in aged care facilities face the challenge of dysphagia**? 

Recognising the prevalence of dysphagia in aged and home community care underscores the crucial need for widespread awareness regarding its identification and effective support mechanisms. 

How to identify Dysphagia 

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, manifests in various ways. Recognising the signs is essential for timely intervention and support: 

• Coughing or choking during meals 
• Difficulty swallowing 
• Gurgly or wet-sounding voice post-swallowing 
• Frequent chest infections or aspiration pneumonia 
• Excessive saliva or drooling 
• Trouble chewing and moving food to the back of the mouth 
• Food sticking in the throat 
• Painful swallowing

Common complaints

Individuals grappling with dysphagia often express common concerns: 

“I don’t know how to prepare meals that are safe for me to eat.” 

“I don’t like eating when others are around.” 

“I am frightened I will cough and choke when I eat.” 

“I don’t go out with my friends to eat; it is too hard.” 

“I am always the last to finish a meal.” 

“If the person helping me with my drinks puts too much in my mouth at one time, it makes me cough.” 

Professional support is available

Plena speech pathologists specialise in enhancing the mealtime experience for individuals with dysphagia. Our dedicated team conducts thorough assessments of swallowing capabilities, recommending personalised food and drink options, and introducing effective strategies to ensure comfort and safety during meals. 

Our approach

At Plena, our paramount focus is on the client and their unique needs. Collaborating with the person with dysphagia, their caregivers, and support team, we tailor the mealtime experience to align with the person’s preferences and choices. Recognising everyone has a role to play in supporting someone with dysphagia, we emphasize a comprehensive, client-centric approach. 

Upcoming seminars

March 2024 will see the return of our highly valued Dietetic and Speech Pathology workshops ‘Sip and Swallow: Every Mouthful Matters’.

These workshops are suitable for those working across care, clinical, catering and quality, with a focus on: 

• Improving nutrition through a food first approach 
• Avoiding unplanned weight loss 
• Supporting people living with swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) 
• Providing texture modified foods and drinks that are IDDSI compliant 
• Preventing aspiration pneumonia and choking incidents 

If you’d like to know more about our 1 day – “Sip and Swallow: Every Mouthful Matters” workshop, click here to learn more. 

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects 150,000 people in Australia (source: https://shakeitup.org.au/understanding-parkinsons/). It is characterised by a wide range of motor symptoms, including tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement and postural instability. In addition to these well-known symptoms, Parkinson’s disease can also have a significant impact on speech and communication abilities. This is where speech pathology, a specialised field of therapy, plays a crucial role in helping individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

Did you know? 
There are muscles in the lips, tongue, throat, cheeks, and jaw… we use around 100 muscles to speak and some 50 pairs of muscles to eat and drink. Communication and swallowing are complex processes. The most frequently encountered problems in Parkinson’s disease are dysarthria and dysphagia.

Dysarthria? Dysphagia? What are they? 
Dysarthria (pronounced as dis-ar-three-ah) is muscle weakness, paralysis or poor coordination of breathing and speech muscles, and can affect a person’s speech volume or cause them to slur their speech.
Dysphagia (pronounced as dis-fey-ja) is difficulty swallowing, meaning someone has difficulty chewing food or keeping food/liquid in their mouth. Difficulty swallowing can lead to coughing and choking, which can lead to food collecting in the lungs (aspiration).

Speech pathology, also referred to as speech therapy or speech-language pathology, offers a range of interventions and strategies to address the difficulties associated with Parkinson’s disease. Speech Pathologists are trained professionals who work closely with individuals with Parkinson’s to assess their specific speech, communication and swallowing needs and develop tailored treatment plans.

When meeting with individuals with Parkinson’s, Plena’s Speech Pathologists will conduct an initial assessment that will start by considering:

1. Is the individual able to communicate effectively with people around them? Are there any therapy techniques or supports that can be implemented to enhance communication success?

Speech therapy can, in some cases, improve speech and language deficits or help a person maintain their skills from further deterioration. Speech Pathologists will discuss goals with the client and their support circle to identify functional communication goals.

2. Is the individual managing their diet well? Is their diet safe and enjoyable?

The Speech Pathologist will complete a swallowing assessment to determine the most suitable diet for a person. Education will be provided on safe swallow strategies and ways to enhance mealtime enjoyment as well as quality of life. If required, the Speech Pathologist may also provide swallowing rehabilitation.

Parkinson’s disease not only affects motor function by has significant implications for communication and swallowing. Speech pathology offers valuable interventions to support and improve quality of life for individuals with Parkinson’s. Through the expertise of speech-language pathologies, individual with Parkinson’s can regain confidence in their ability to communicate effectively, enhancing overall wellbeing and social interactions.

Speech Pathologists work with people of all ages and backgrounds to help them improve their communication skills. They are vital to the holistic health care of senior Australians. Speech pathology can be a valuable asset in helping someone gain control over their communication abilities and swallowing skills after a stroke, surgery, or assist with conditions like dysphasia.

In this article, we will explore what speech pathology is and how it can benefit those who need help with communication issues.

What is speech pathology?

Speech pathology is the study, diagnosis, and treatment of communication disorders. It encompasses the entire process of producing and comprehending spoken language, as well as the social and cultural factors that influence its use.

Speech Pathologists develop a deep understanding of how speech, language, and swallowing skills develop in individuals, what can cause these skills to break down, and how they can be restored. This knowledge is then used to help seniors who have difficulty communicating and swallowing.

Speech pathology services may be used to assess and treat a wide range of communication disorders, including:

• Articulation disorders: difficulty producing specific sounds correctly.
• Phonological delays/disorders: difficulty learning the sound patterns of language.
• Fluency disorders: problems with the rhythm and flow of speech, such as stuttering.
• Voice disorders: problems with pitch, loudness, or quality of voice.
• Receptive language disorders: difficulty understanding spoken or written language.
• Expressive language disorders: difficulty putting thoughts into words or using words appropriately.

How can speech pathology help improve communication?

Speech Pathologists are trained to assess and treat communication disorders. This means that they can help you to identify the root cause of your difficulty communicating and then provide you with specific strategies to improve your communication skills.

There are many different ways in which speech pathology can help you to improve your communication. For example, a Speech Pathologist may work with you with:

• Improving pronunciation of certain words or sounds.
• Increasing the clarity of speech.
• Teaching how to better use facial expressions and body language to communicate.
• Helping to understand and use communication devices such as Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems.

What are the different treatment options for speech disorders?

There are a variety of different treatment options for speech disorders, depending on the specific disorder and its severity. In some cases, simply practising correct pronunciation of words or learning new techniques to improve articulation can be effective.

However, more serious or chronic speech disorders may require more intensive treatment, such as speech therapy. Speech Therapists work with individuals to improve communication skills through a variety of exercises and activities.

At Plena Healthcare, our Speech Pathologists are dedicated to helping clients articulate more clearly and to lead a high quality of life. Our team has extensive knowledge in communication, and specialises in evaluating and treating speech, swallowing, and voice issues.

Our team has experience in treating a number of impairments, including dysphagia (swallowing impairments), dyspraxia and dysarthria (speech impairments), aphasia (language or communication impairments), and dysphonia (voice impairments).

Plena Healthcare can offer the following:

• Speech pathology care plans to ensure individuals are swallowing safely, and fluid and food recommendations are tailored to meet their individual requirements.
• Integrating with multi-disciplinary teams, to get to know residents, families, staff, kitchen procedures, and to understand how a residential aged care facility or home works.
• Documented assessments and clear recommendations that are easy for clinical and care staff to understand, and we make sure our terminology is aligned with industry standards.

Speech pathology can be a great tool to help seniors who struggle with communication and experience swallowing challenges. By exploring the various options available, it is possible to find the right kind of intervention for your specific needs and goals.

Whether you are looking for ways to improve your speech clarity or are seeking strategies that will help you communicate more effectively, a qualified therapist can provide guidance and support every step of the way.

With their expertise and knowledge about all aspects of communication, Speech Pathologists have the ability to make an impact on everyone’s life.

To learn more about our speech pathology services, you can click here or to speak with our team call us on 136 033.

Approach Considerations

What is difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)?

Difficulty swallowing is also called dysphagia. It is usually a sign of a problem with your throat or esophagus —the muscular tube that moves food and liquids from the back of your mouth to your stomach. Although dysphagia can happen to anyone, it is most common in older adults, babies, and people who have problems of the brain or nervous system.

There are many different problems that can prevent the throat or esophagus from working properly. Some of these are minor, and others are more serious. If you have a hard time swallowing once or twice, you probably do not have a medical problem. But if you have trouble swallowing on a regular basis, you may have a more serious problem that needs treatment.

What causes dysphagia?

Normally, the muscles in your throat and esophagus squeeze, or contract, to move food and liquids from your mouth to your stomach without problems. Sometimes, though, food and liquids have trouble getting to your stomach. There are two types of problems that can make it hard for food and liquids to travel down your esophagus:

• The muscles and nerves that help move food through the throat and esophagus are not working right. This can happen if you have:
  • Had a stroke or a brain or spinal cord injury.
  • Certain problems with your nervous system, such as post-polio syndrome, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, or Parkinson’s disease.
  • An immune system problem that causes swelling (or inflammation) and weakness, such as polymyositis or dermatomyositis.
  • Esophageal spasm. This means that the muscles of the esophagus suddenly squeeze. Sometimes this can prevent food from reaching the stomach.
  • Scleroderma. In this condition, tissues of the esophagus become hard and narrow. Scleroderma can also make the lower esophageal muscle weak, which may cause food and stomach acid to come back up into your throat and mouth.
• Something is blocking your throat or esophagus. This may happen if you have:
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). When stomach acid backs up regularly into your esophagus, it can cause ulcers in the esophagus, which can then cause scars to form. These scars can make your esophagus narrower.
  • Esophagitis. This is inflammation of the esophagus. This can be caused by different problems, such as GERD or having an infection or getting a pill stuck in the esophagus. It can also be caused by an allergic reaction to food or things in the air.
  • Diverticula. These are small sacs in the walls of the esophagus or the throat.
  • Esophageal tumors. These growths in the esophagus may be cancerous or not cancerous.
  • Masses outside the esophagus, such as lymph nodes, tumors, or bone spurs on the vertebrae that press on your esophagus.

A dry mouth can make dysphagia worse. This is because you may not have enough saliva to help move food out of your mouth and through your esophagus. A dry mouth can be caused by medicines or another health problem.