Dysphagia & Dementia: What we need to learn & unlearn
If you're a speech pathologist working with adults with dementia, you already know that dysphagia doesn't show up in isolation. It shows up alongside memory loss, behavioural & sensory changes, communication breakdowns and alongside an aging swallow.
In part 1 of this episode of Dysphagia Research Bites, Chantelle sits down with Jackie Rodriguez, Speech-Language Pathologist, to unpack the dual diagnosis challenge of dementia and dysphagia, and why assessing swallowing in this population requires a fundamentally different clinical lens.
In this episode we cover:
- Why dementia and dysphagia together present a unique and underrecognised clinical challenge
- Jackie's story of how this became an area of interest
- An introduction to the article: Dysphagia in Persons with Dementia: The Dual Diagnosis Challenge by Michelle Tristani
- A discussion on terminology and why the language we use with this population matters
- Functional approaches to assessing dysphagia in adults with dementia
- Some cognitive assessments that SLPs should know about
Assessments mentioned in this episode:
- Dementia Mealtime Assessment Tool (DMAT)
- Environment & Communication Assessment Toolkit (ECAT) for Dementia Care
- The Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS)
- The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)
- Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test (CLQT)
- Global Deterioration Scale (GDS)
Be sure to check out Jackie’s ebook: The SLPs Guide to Dementia
You can find it here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-SLPs-Guide-to-Dementia-11781923
The publication this episode is based on: Dysphagia in Persons with Dementia: Tristani, M (2016). The Dual Diagnosis Challenge. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups
Volume 1, Number 15 Pages 105-116
