MAY IS BETTER HEARING AND SPEECH
MONTH, WHICH WAS CREATED TO
BRING GREATER AWARENESS FOR
COMMUNICATION
DISORDERS. THIS MORNING, WE'LL
LEARN MORE ABOUT
COMMUNICATION AND SWALLOWING
PROBLEMS AND THE ROLE OF SPEECH-
LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS. IN THIS
MORNING'S ASK A SPECIALIST
WE WELCOME IN JOANNE OSHIRO,
SPEECH- LANGUAGE-
SWALLOWING PATHOLOGIST AT THE
QUEEN'S MEDICAL CENTER,
PUNCHBOWL CAMPUS
What is a Medical
Speech-Language
Pathologist?
Medical speech- language
pathologists Work in variety of
settings - hospitals to
homes
Rehabilitate communication
abilities
Improve swallowing function and
safety Question #2: What can
cause
communication and swallowing
problems?
Causes of communication &
swallowing problems
Neurologic changes
Cancer
Medications
Normal aging
Behavior and lifestyle choices
Question #3: How could these
conditions
impact a person's communication
and
swallowing abilities?
Conditions can lead to changes
in:
Muscle function
Physical structure
Brain function
Issues with communication
Slurred speech
Irregular voice; no voice
Difficulty understanding what
you hear
Difficulty saying what you want
to say
Reading / writing
Problems with social
interaction
Memory loss
Issues with swallowing
Coughing or "choking" with oral
intake
Not eating or drinking enough
Food, liquid, saliva down into
the lungs Demonstration:
OraStretch press
Question #4: What can people do
if they,
or their loved ones, have
problems with
communicating or swallowing?
Share your concerns with your
doctor who
may refer you to Outpatient
Speech-
Communication- Swallowing
services
for evaluation and possible
treatment. Call to action:
The Queen's Medical Center
provides help for those with
communication or swallowing
difficulties. Joanne Oshiro is
part
of the Outpatient Communication
and
Swallowing Department and you
can contact them at 691-4743, or
for more information, go to
queensmedicalcenter.
org/speech-pathology.
On screen:
For more information:
Outpatient Communication and
Swallowing Department 691-4743
queensmedicalcenter.
org/speech-pathology