Dementia is more than just memory loss. It is a collection of symptoms affecting thinking, memory, language, and behaviour. A person with Dementia may have difficulty completing everyday tasks like reading, writing, expressing emotions, finding words when talking, and participating in conversations. Dementia is not a normal part of ageing. Rather, it is caused by brain disease. [...]
Like breathing, swallowing is essential to everyday life. Humans swallow at between 500-700 times a day, around three times an hour during sleep, once per minute while awake and even more during meals. Around one million Australians have a swallowing difficulty ('dysphagia'). Swallowing problems can occur at any stage of life. However, the knowledge [...]
The speech pathology Allied Health Assistant, or AHA, can aid the delivery and administration of speech pathology services. The AHA is not a replacement for a qualified speech pathologist. Rather, the AHA can make a speech pathology program more efficient and effective. This creates benefits for both clients and speech pathologists. You pay a reduced [...]
This is an article for any person delivering or receiving rehabilitation. If you (or someone you know) has an acquired illness or injury, speech pathology rehabilitation might be needed. It is common for clients to arrive at Wollongong Speech Pathology with some rehabilitation already under their belt. This might have been inpatient rehab, or [...]
Caring for a person at the end of their life can be a gift. If done well, we can support a person to die with dignity as well as supporting the loved ones they will leave behind. This presents two questions: What is the role of speech pathology in end of life care, and [...]
What is it like to have a speech pathology placement in private practice? Great question! This guest blog post was written by a speech pathology student, Sarah El-Wahsh. Sarah completed her final speech pathology placement with us in August 2017. She gives us some great insights into a placement in private practice.... Learning beyond the [...]
Below is an article written by speech pathology student Terissa Morgan, about an interesting opportunity for collaboration between engineering & speech pathology. “Thinking Outside The Box” In Collaborative Practice, by Terissa Morgan At the end of April, Alicia and I were lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with some engineering students from the [...]
Our first pair of speech pathology students - Jaimie and Lizzy - have now finished their placement with Wollongong Speech Pathology. It was a dream having them on board with us. I loved talking to them about clients! It was brilliant to have two extra people involved, giving input into clients' assessment and treatment plans. [...]
Wollongong Speech Pathology is now taking Student Speech Pathologists on clinical placement. Let's talk about why! Benefits to clients: a fresh perspective to therapy programs access to up-to-date evidence & techniques Benefits to the practice: give something back to the profession providing quality clinical opportunities to students Benefits to students: exposure to a wide range [...]
Making a dementia diagnosis is not a straight-forward process. Sometimes it can take years for a firm diagnosis to be made. What does an assessment involve? Dementia diagnosis requires a team approach. As a minimum, assessment will involve: a case history (your GP will ask you questions about your past, your current concerns, what is working [...]
