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Eat, Speak, & Think

Medical speech therapist sharing tips and resources

I've been a medical speech-language pathologist since 2008, and I'm passionate about sharing useful tips and resources to help people living with swallowing, communication, or cognitive challenges.

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Featured Post

EST Updates: True patient success story! From barely talking to cracking jokes in 5 sessions!

Hi Reader,I'm so excited to be sharing this patient success story! My patient "James" was barely talking when I met him, due to aphasia. I tried my usual therapy methods for the first month and didn't get far. Then I learned about a new aphasia treatment on the Speech Scope podcast and decided to try it, even though it seemed too easy. But it worked! James was telling long stories and cracking jokes by the 5th session! You can find the link to his story and learn about the therapy approach in...

20 days ago • 3 min read
Older man and older woman seated in comfortable chairs by a window, with a cup of coffee and tissues on a small table between them.

Hi Reader,Read to the end to learn something about me that I've never shared before! I've updated the rewards for supporters on Buy Me a Coffee! If you're a supporting member, you should have received the updated PDF of handouts from my blog (now a whopping 360 pages!). Anyone leaving a one-time tip receives the Mini-Binder PDF as their 'thank you'. I updated this PDF with the low-vision font screener test. I'll let you in on a secret. If you want the full Resource Binder but don't want to...

about 2 months ago • 4 min read

Hi Reader,I'm a huge fan of Medbridge. In my opinion, the continuing education courses are top-notch, and the library of helpful materials continues to grow. See below for an exciting discount that ends June 30! My garden is larger than ever, and now I'm watching videos to learn how to can and pickle. Very exciting! 🧠What I'm working on I'm almost done with my new blog post, sharing the true story of how well ECoLoGiC-Tx worked for the first patient I tried it with. (This is a relatively new...

2 months ago • 2 min read
Title of blog post "Intensive home exercise helped my patient talk again" with accompanying stock photo of older man, smiling.

Hi Reader,Today, I'm sharing resources for a deceptively-easy aphasia treatment program that is effective for mod to severe impairments, even Wernicke's aphasia. 🧠What I'm working on Spiral-bound book project: I'm up to 20 handouts (43 pages) ready to go! I'm also contemplating my next blog post topic. If you want to weigh in, reply with your suggestion! I'm debating the following topics: Sharing how I dramatically increased point of service documentation over the past couple of months (it...

3 months ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader,I'm sharing an updated version of the free swallow assessment tools handout and a funny video wishing SLPs a happy May from my favorite physical therapist comedian. 🧠What I'm working on Day job as a home health SLP: I completed 80% of my documentation point of service for two weeks recently, without affecting patient care or the quality of my work. (To the best of my judgement.) It's taken me quite a long time to figure out how to achieve this. And let me tell you, I really...

3 months ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader,My handouts are often inspired by real-life patients. I created my newest handout for two of my current patients - both high-functioning people experiencing new challenges with managing their lives. You can find the link to the new free PDF below, in the "Featured EST post & handout" section. In the "Something worth sharing" section, you'll find a video library of aphasia and cognitive-communication exercises for patients. This looks like a great option for home exercise programs!...

4 months ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader,Today, I'm sharing a new patient handout that I created for someone I worked with recently. It's designed to help people take more control over memory lapses in conversation. I explain further in the Featured EST Post & Handout section. I hope this email finds you safe and well. If you come across something you think I should share in a future email, or if you're a creator and would like to recommend your own work, please hit reply and let me know! My goal is simply to create and...

4 months ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader,Help me decide how to organize multi-skill handouts for the print book! See "What I'm working on" for more details. Today, I'm sharing a completely updated patient handout. Link is in the 'Featured EST post & handout' section below. I've also been taking Hospice continuing education courses. One of the SLPs shared a treasure-trove of fact sheets. You can find links to several in the "Something worth sharing" section at the end of this email. I picked ones that apply across levels of...

5 months ago • 3 min read

Hi Reader,I took a deep dive into what actually makes a SOAP note clear, defensible, and quick to write. It's been a labor of love (or desperation?), but it's ready! The free download is long, but it's easy to skim. I included guiding questions, verb banks, sentence starters, and examples. If you'd like to write your session notes faster or more succinctly, this guide just might help you! 🧠What I'm working on Almost all of my blog time was dedicated to the SOAP note guide, but I did figure...

5 months ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader,My company doesn't want us to say "patient tolerated" anymore. They want specificity. So I worked with Chat GPT to come up with a bunch of other ways to report how the patient did. I organized it by what we actually mean by "tolerated" since that term can cover a lot! You can find the link to the bonus handout below. 🧠What I'm working on I'm nearly finished with the SLP SOAP note guide. The draft version has really helped improve clarity in my own documentation, and the final...

6 months ago • 2 min read