JournalTOCs School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK Email: journaltocs@hw.ac.uk Tel: +00 44 (0)131 4513762  Your IP address: 18.206.177.17 |
JournalTOCs School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK Email: journaltocs@hw.ac.uk Tel: +00 44 (0)131 4513762 Your IP address: 18.206.177.17 |
Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
Speech–language pathologists often lack preparation for palliative care practice and this lack of training can lead to poor outcomes for patients. Lack of training can additionally lead to burnout and compassion fatigue in clinicians. Careful implementation of training is necessary to increase the knowledge base for palliative practice and careful attention must also be paid to the emotional component of end-of-life care. The history and current practice of palliative care education across health care disciplines are examined. Finally, a pilot study evaluating a course module on palliative and end-of-life care for speech–language pathologist graduate students is presented. Results from the pilot indicate that students improved both their knowledge and comfort related to issues of end-of-life care topics. In addition, students responded positively to the opportunity to learn about the topic and the instructional strategies used within the course module.
Palliative care is specialized medical care offered to persons with serious health conditions, with the goal to relieve or prevent pain and suffering, to manage burdensome symptoms, and to optimize as much as possible the quality of life of patients and their families (Institute of Medicine, 2015). Speech–language pathologists (SLPs) are not always recognized as key members of palliative care teams and speech–language pathology students seldom receive training in palliative care. Yet, SLPs often have an influential role in ensuring that patients with cognitive–communicative and swallowing impairments have the best possible communicative access and quality of life, regardless of the severity of their diagnosis. The purpose of this study is to report on 110 speech pathology students' awareness and knowledge about palliative care concepts and of the role of SLPs in palliative care. This study utilized a participatory design approach for survey development to study student awareness and knowledge of select palliative care topics. Study results revealed SLP students' high exposure to the construct of quality of life, with notably limited knowledge of and exposure to palliative care and advance directives. Furthermore, SLP students frequently reported being familiar with a concept or term and yet were unable to explain the concept accurately. These data were analyzed and offer critical insights into curriculum design for training SLP students about palliative care.
The client's ability to communicate is key to providing quality palliative end-of-life care. A speech–language pathologist (SLP) can facilitate the patient's ability to communicate concerns or preferences in order to (1) improve the health care team's ability to manage symptoms and engage in end-of-life discussions, and (2) support the patient and family's ability to maintain social connectivity. This article describes methods for implementing speech–language pathology communication consults in palliative or end-of life care. The information is illustrated with patient vignettes and supported by literature resources. Specific participation goals and outcomes illustrate the impact of the SLP treatment on the interprofessional team palliative care outcomes. Approaches to advocating for speech–language pathology communication consults in palliative end-of-life care are highlighted. Ongoing research and advocacy may result in valuable skilled speech–language pathology services for patients with communication barriers in palliative or end-of-life care.
Purpose: Palliative care is regarded as fundamental to human dignity and falls under the definition of basic human rights. One considerable community of color whose needs are poorly understood consists of Asian Americans, including distinct priorities, expectations, and decision-making processes by diverse subgroups. The purpose of this work was to understand whether and to what extent unique considerations are understood among Asian American subgroups.Method: A scoping review was conducted among major scientific and academic databases. Broad search terms surrounding end-of-life care were combined with individual racial and ethnic identifiers encompassing Asian American subgroups.Results: Twenty-two articles met inclusion criteria and reflected diverse arrays of worldviews surrounding access to, utilization of, and desired outcomes from palliative care. Most articles focused on social orientations prioritizing family in disease disclosure and avenues of interventions sought with distinct patterns among subgroups.Discussion/Conclusion: A human rights framework emphasizing palliative and other end-of-life approaches to care may be inadequate to address unique considerations among diverse Asian American subgroups. Theorists and practitioners should incorporate practices of collectivist orientations and family contexts commonly found among these diverse communities.
No abstract available
Purpose: Nonfluent primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) is an established language-led dementia and a known variant of frontotemporal degeneration. The purpose of this article is to report the trajectory of a single case, AC, diagnosed with nfvPPA. We describe a range of interventions offered to AC over 3 years that aimed to support her communicative function, social participation, sense of identity, and emotional well-being. We offer reflections on how these interventions align with palliative care principles, highlighting their value for guiding communication and life participation interventions for persons with nfvPPA.Method: This study used a longitudinal analysis of impairment progression, traditional outcome measures, patient-reported outcome measures, and narrative description to report on patient and family response to interventions.Results: Individual and group interventions are critical for addressing the progressive communication impairments and life participation restrictions for persons affected by nfvPPA. Palliative care principles have intuitive appeal for informing the selection of intervention approaches while focusing on managing symptoms, upholding patient autonomy and dignity, and enhancing quality of life throughout the course of rapidly progressive conditions like primary progressive aphasia.Discussion/Conclusion: Speech–language pathologist-led interventions, grounded in palliative care principles, can optimize communicative function and quality of life for persons with nfvPPA.
