Prevention and wellness is defined as “reducing the incidence of a new disorder or disease, identifying disorders at an early stage, and decreasing the severity or impact of a disability associated with an existing disorder or disease ” ( ASHA, 2016, p. Counseling is defined as “interactions related to emotional reactions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that result from living with the communication disorder, feeding and swallowing disorder, or related disorders” ( ASHA, 2016, p. These contrasting figures highlight the mismatch between the amount of research or clinical evidence on speech-language therapy for dementia and the clinical need for such evidence.ĪSHA’s Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology (2016) states that, in addition to providing assessment and treatment services, SLPs also perform counseling, prevention and wellness, and collaboration activities. Furthermore, in a recent review of clinical practice research published in ASHA journals over the past 11 years (2008–2018), 46 articles focused on neurodegenerative conditions, in contrast to 108 articles published on the topic of stroke ( Roberts et al., 2020). Unfortunately, many graduate programs do not require or offer a stand-alone course in cognitive communication or dementia, despite the fact that the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology includes cognitive aspects of communication as a necessary learning construct ( Morrow et al., 2021). A recent survey of SLPs working in acute care settings suggests that many clinicians lack confidence and specialized training in the management of cognitive-communication disorders ( Morrow et al., 2021). residents and becoming one of the greatest burdens on the health care system ( Alzheimer’s Association, 2019).ĭespite the large and growing need for dementia-related services, speech-language pathology research and clinical education related to PWDs have been relatively neglected. ![]() The prevalence of dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) alone is expected to triple in the next 30 years, affecting approximately 15 million U.S. Indeed, the need for services for PWD will increase significantly as the “baby boomer” generation progresses through the age band of greatest risk for dementia. This was the second largest reported area of clinical practice (second only to swallowing), indicating that individuals with dementia are major consumers of speech-language pathology cognitive-communication services ( ASHA, 2019). ![]() In a recent survey conducted by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association ( ASHA, 2019), speech-language pathologists (SLPs) reported that 14% of their time working in adult health care settings was spent with persons with dementia (PWDs).
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