Focus on Geriatric and Adult Services : field experts, professional issues

Daily and Weekly Notes

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:48:00 GMT

I know what I want my patients to achieve. I want one to be able to resume PO intake after a PEG placement. I want another to communicate wants and needs with family and staff. I want a new patient with memory loss to adapt to the living environment and...(read more)

Key to Reimbursement

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:58:00 GMT

Both short- and long-term goals may be scrutinized in order to determine whether skilled speech therapy services are medically necessary in the SNF setting, as well as in other settings involving adult and geriatric patients, such as Home Health Care...(read more)

Discussing Goals with Patients

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:30:00 GMT

While re-reading my last post (I do that frequently to avoid repeating myself and to promote continuity), I noticed I wrote that I "always discuss the goals with a patient when appropriate." This week, I wanted to clarify and reiterate that it is always...(read more)

BHSM Bulletin Board

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

This week, I'll kick off BHSM by planning and decorating a bulletin board in our facility. This BHSM activity is, admittedly, easy to execute and not at all original. From public schools to clinics and hospitals, I think the majority of SLPs use this...(read more)

Looking Ahead to BHSM

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Better Hearing & Speech Month ( BHSM ) is imminent! What to do? I seem to always rely on my tried and true activities, including making a bulletin board in the building, giving in-services, and splurging on a new SLP t-shirt or two. This year I'd...(read more)

Practical 'Do's and Don'ts' for CFYs

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Recently, I posted an interview with Christine Costello, a CFY-SLP who shared some of her experiences and thoughts about working in long-term care. As spring approaches, I know that many graduate students are anticipating graduation and beginning a search...(read more)

The CFY Experience: A New Grad's Perspective

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:30:00 GMT

This week's post is an interview with Christine Costello about her Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) experiences. Last year I had the privilege of supervising Christine for a few months in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) setting. Although Christine decided...(read more)

Singing in the New Year

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:05:00 GMT

I do not make New Year's resolutions, but I do set goals for myself, and one of them is to perpetually look for new ways to treat patients that are fun and creative in nature. On a recent commute to work, I was excited to hear a story on NPR ' s Morning...(read more)

Why I Love to Work With New Graduates and Students

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:21:00 GMT

This year I have the honor to supervise a CFY clinician, and I couldn't be happier about it. While supervision does require some extra work and scheduling considerations, I find I get a great benefit from working with both students and new clinicians,...(read more)

Repetitive Questioning: Tips for Intervention

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:18:00 GMT

Repetitive questioning or statements are common and often challenging behaviors seen in adults with cognitive decline and memory loss associated with dementia . A person who has been diagnosed with a disease process resulting in dementia may ask the same...(read more)

Simple, Inexpensive Communication Therapy Ideas

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:00:00 GMT

How many of you have a budget for therapy and/or diagnostic materials at your workplace? Budgets are always limited, and I tend to request only materials and items that I know are patient-specific (communication books, etc.) to be purchased by the facility....(read more)

Professional Use of Technology

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:13:00 GMT

SLPs in SNF settings are often the only SLP in the building, so listservs, social media and interest groups become helpful in asking questions, sharing insights and connecting with other professionals. Questions that other SLPs have posted regarding treatment...(read more)

A Room (Without a View)

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:57:00 GMT

I remember the "office" I had at my first SLP job. I was in the schools then, and I had to really put my foot down to be granted a former music instrument storage closet. When I entered the SNF environment, the workplace included one large rehab gym that...(read more)

Saying Goodbye to Group Therapy

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:55:00 GMT

It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). With a nod to the late, great R.E.M., I pause to consider the recent Medicare PPS changes, which took effect 10/1/2011, and impacted my workplace. You can read more about the changes here . I...(read more)

The World is Our Classroom

Jennifer Kay-Williams — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:12:00 GMT

"The world is my classroom, each day is a new lesson, and every person I meet is my teacher."- Craig Harper Enter the words "the world is my classroom" into a search engine and you will find 141,000,000 hits on Google alone. It's a familiar saying, and...(read more)