Brainstorms: Functional Neurorehab for SLPs

Brain injury affects more than the individual.Guest: Julie A. Fechter, MS, CCC-SLPEarn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PDWatch on YouTubeIn this episode of Brainstorms: Functional Neurorehab for SLPs, host Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, welcomes Julie A. Fechter, MS, CCC-SLP, to share her family’s experience navigating life after brain injury and the challenges of advocating for a loved one. Through her family’s experience, Julie highlights the challenges of understanding a loved one’s injury, navigating healthcare systems, communicating with providers, and ensuring that the person behind the diagnosis is seen and heard. The episode emphasizes the importance of recognizing subtle changes in communication and cognition, listening to families, and building meaningful partnerships among clinicians, patients, and caregivers.About the Guest: Julie A. Fechter, MS, CCC-SLP, is an adult medical SLP with 15 years of experience across nearly every setting imaginable. Specializing in Parkinson’s in her home health clinical practice, Julie was recently diagnosed with Sjogren's disease. She participated in a clinical trial, which deepened her understanding of what it's like to be a patient. Julie has spoken at state speech conventions in California and Louisiana, as well as for the APDA NW.

Surviving a brain tumor is only one part of the story.Guest: Ana Hernandez, MS, CCC-SLPEarn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PDWatch on YouTubeIn this episode of Brainstorms, host Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is joined by Ana Hernandez, MS, CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist and brain tumor survivor, to share Ana’s lived experience of recovery and rebuilding life after treatment.Ana shares how recovery has affected communication, cognition, energy, relationships, identity, and participation in everyday life. Together, Renee and Ana discuss challenges that may be less visible to others, including cognitive fatigue, communication changes, adjusting to a new normal, and learning to advocate for the support you need.About the Guest: Ana Hernandez, MS, CCC-SLP, founder of Adult Stuttering Services, focuses on stuttering care that prioritizes quality and dignity. A survivor of brain surgery, her clinical perspectives are shaped by her own recovery journey. This deep dive into neurodivergence has significantly shaped her clinical perspective.

Difficulty swallowing pills may point to a broader concern involving swallowing or functional communication.Guest: Katie Decker, MA, CCC-SLPEarn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PDWatch on YouTubeIn this episode of Brainstorms, host Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is joined by Katie Decker, MA, CCC-SLP, to discuss pill dysphagia, an often-overlooked challenge that can affect medication adherence, safety, and overall health.Renee and Katie examine the factors that can make swallowing medication difficult, including pill size, shape, and texture, as well as swallowing physiology, cognition, and underlying neurologic conditions.About the Guest: Katie Decker, MA, CCC-SLP, is a Clinical Specialist with PatCom Medical, where she focuses on providing clinicians nationwide with access to state-of-the-art swallowing and voice diagnostic equipment to enhance their practice and patient care. She has previously worked in a variety of medical settings, including owning and operating a Mobile FEES business in Iowa.

Communication disorders can have far-reaching consequences in healthcare.Guest: Hilary Sample, MA, CCC-SLPEarn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PDWatch on YouTubeIn this episode of Brainstorms, host Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is joined by Hilary Sample, MA, CCC-SLP, to examine how conditions such as aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia of speech, and cognitive-communication disorders can create barriers to receiving high-quality medical care. Together, they discuss why effective communication is critical to healthcare and what clinicians across settings need to know.About the Guest: Hilary Sample, MA, CCC-SLP, is a medical speech-language pathologist and co-founder of MedConcerns. Drawing on her experience in acute care and inpatient rehabilitation, she partnered with a physician to develop practical tools that help healthcare teams communicate more effectively with patients who have aphasia and other communication disorders.Show Notes:Hilary Contact: @medconcerns @hilarysampleslpMedConcerns: https://medconcerns.com/References:Kagan et al. (2024). Journal of Communication Disorders, 107, 106390 Bartlett, Blais, Tamblyn, Clermont & MacGibbon (2008). CMAJ, 178(12), 1555–1562 Hurtig, Alper & Berkowitz (2018). Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 3(12), 99–112 Freeman-Sanderson, Morris & Elkins (2019). Australian Critical Care, 32(5), 373–377Shand, Foster, Baker & O'Halloran (2024). International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Simmons-Mackie et al. (2010, 2016) systematic reviews on communication partner training (CPT) Clarification: Bartlett et al. (2008) found that among patients who experienced preventable adverse events, 46% of those with communication problems experienced multiple events, compared with 20% of those without communication problems.

Developing expertise in voice disorders takes more than what is learned in graduate school.Guest: Moriah Douglas, MS, CCC-SLPEarn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PDWatch on YouTubeDeveloping expertise in voice disorders takes more than what is learned in graduate school. In this episode of Brainstorms, host Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is joined by Moriah Douglas, MS, CCC-SLP, to discuss how mentorship, clinical experience, and lifelong learning help speech-language pathologists build confidence in the assessment and treatment of voice disorders.About the Guest: Moriah Douglas, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist specializing in acute and outpatient medical rehabilitation. She earned her master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 2024 after completing undergraduate degrees in Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of South Alabama and Athletic Training at the University of West Florida.