May 18, 2022
May is Speech and Hearing Month, which aims to raise awareness about communication health. At LHSC, a number of our teams are involved in supporting various aspects of communication health, including our Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) team. During this important awareness month, we want to take the opportunity to recognize and thank the members of our SLP team for all that they do to support the communication health of our patients.
Why speech-language pathology is important:
Speech-language pathologists are regulated health professionals who work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders that result from a variety of medical conditions. At LHSC, our team of 16 speech-language pathologists work together with the patient, family, and the interprofessional care team to ensure safe, effective and timely involvement, which contributes to a management plan that allows a smooth transition to home. Patients not requiring a hospital stay may also be seen for assessment of voice, speech-language, and swallowing disorders. Our comprehensive test protocols and leading technology can determine the nature of the problem and in some situations assist our physicians in identifying medical conditions that may not be fully understood.
Additionally, the team is committed to meeting our academic mission and provides a rich-learning environment for students completing clinical placements, ensuring they have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills needed to treat those who are extremely ill and face complex medical conditions and decisions.
Our SLP team commonly sees patients with communication and swallowing problems related to:
- Neurological conditions
- Neurosurgical conditions
- Traumatic brain injury
- Stroke
- Motor neuron diseases
- Movement disorders
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Multiple sclerosis
- Epilepsy
- Dementia
- Complications of acute illness
- Head and neck cancer
- Laryngeal disorders
- End of life care
