Here it is, the second of May… It is officially Better Hearing & Speech Month.  But, because speech language pathologists like myself ALSO work on swallowing, we (collectively) have added swallowing to this.  And, in honor of that, I present to you, my latest BLOG!  What you see in this picture to your left is my pile of research I used to present to a facility administrator and MD to advocate for a reflux diet.  I have not used all those resources for this BLOG topic, but the size of the folder indicates how much reading I have put into this topic. Also– Shout out to ..read more

Temporary lapses in memory can be frightening and worrisome.  Have you ever been unable to recall a co-worker’s name or where you put your car keys, phone, glasses, or remote?  Now imagine that happening every single day, negatively impacting your relationships, your job performance, and your mental health. Unfortunately, this is the reality of having a cognitive-communication deficit, like Alzheimer’s disease. A cognitive-communication deficit can be categorized as a problem with memory, attention, language, organization, judgment, and/or critical thinking skills. (Click here to lea ..read more

I am guilty of this.  Thinking “this disease is progressive.  Degenerative.  There’s no way adult speech therapy could possibly help this person.  No matter what I do, they will get worse.”   Degenerative diseases are irreversible.  I thought it when I first graduated.  Many new professionals do. In fact, some long time professionals do.    Now, I call it “writing people off.”  Not giving a person your time of day because you are already biased that there is no hope for them.  You see, just because a person will undoubtedly decline in ..read more

Holy MOLY!  I cannot believe it is JULY already! I have been trying to finish this blog post since the first week of June!  Things have gotten busier here at Resurgence, which is GREAT for business, not so great for blogging!  Alas, June was National Dysphagia Month, so in the spirit of dysphagia education, here I go! “What the heck is dysphagia,” you ask? Great question!  The short answer is:  it’s trouble swallowing.  (The yellow line in the picture is the route our food/drinks should take.) But this BLOG isn’t about the short answer, now is it?   &nbs ..read more

Our father-daughter dance. May is not only Better Hearing and Speech month, it’s also Brain Cancer Awareness Month. Another cause that is near and dear to my heart.  Those of you that know me, know I lost my Dad to brain cancer in 2016.  I talk about it a lot, I think about it a lot, and it has affected the way I provide treatment, A LOT. My Dad was so many things to so many people. He was the smartest man I’ve ever known.  He had an incredible talent for teaching, even though he was a computer nerd.  I remember one year, he and my mom wanted me to be interested in science ..read more

  Image from www.strokeawareness.com In addition to Better Hearing & Speech Month and Brain Cancer Awareness month, May is also Stroke Awareness Month.  According to the CDC, strokes (CVA) are the leading cause of long term disability.  (https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm) As a speech language pathologist working with adults, stroke patients have been a significant part of my caseload over the years.  Depending on the part of the brain where the CVA happened, a person’s cognition, language, speech, swallowing  and voice may be affected, requiring a speech languag ..read more

It has been a minute since my last blog post, and I do apologize!   Things got a little busy the last two weeks and I’m grateful to say, they are still busy this week.  The clinic is picking up pace; I just got the letter today; Resurgence is now in network with United HealthCare!  It’s definitely worthy of a celebration.  I have been busy learning my new billing program, doing FEES, meeting new patients, and handing out brochures.  I am thrilled to meet all my new clients!  It feels so wonderful to be back helping people again! Today I am going to talk abou ..read more

Welcome, April, with your warmer weather, blue skies, budding trees, chirping birds, blooming flowers, and obscene amounts of pollen! April is a special month for me; it’s the month where I get to remember my first best friend; my Grandpa.  His 101st birthday would be this month; it’s been an unbelievable 10 years since he passed away.  I miss him all the time, but he is always in my heart and in my treatment sessions.  He and my grandmother, Margaret are responsible for my deep love for the adult/geriatric age-group.  They taught me how to interact with older people in a f ..read more

Since March is National Head Injury Awareness month, I wanted to talk about a common  secondary disability that happens with brain injury; cognitive deficits.  On the Resurgence Neuro Rehab facebook page, I put together a little video that talks about what the word “cognition” really means.  My hope for this post is to explain that, as well as explain a little bit about impairments in cognition, and how I can help with that.   Cognition is the act of thinking.  But, thinking involves several smaller processes.  So, let’s say we want to think about a phoenix; the b ..read more