profile

Eat, Speak, & Think

EST Updates: Free swallow assessment tools & a funny video

Published 4 months ago • 2 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 appreciated having time for something other than dinner and documentation after getting home from work!

Eat, Speak, & Think blog: I continue making handouts for my patients and tweaking them. When I'm satisfied they'll be useful, I'll share them with you.

For the spiral-bound book project, I have 17 handouts now ready, for a total of 38 pages.

🎓Continuing education & colleague support

High-quality continuing education courses are a fast way to learn about new strategies and resources. Here are some of my favorite resources.

Medbridge discount for SLP, OT, PT, nurses, & athletic trainers

​Save $106 on a single subscription* or pay just $75 for a student subscription*. Looking for a group rate*?
​
​*These are affiliate links. As an affiliate of MedBridge Education, I may earn a commission on qualifying new subscriptions. There is no extra charge to you, and it will help make Eat, Speak, & Think sustainable.

Get a free month with the Medical SLP Collective

The Medical SLP Collective is a subscription-based membership group. I've found the community to be very helpful for high-quality CEUs, materials, and quick answers for clinical questions from experts.

Just mention my name (Lisa Young) when you sign up, and we both get an extra month free!

SpeechPathology.com is offering a free bonus month to new subscribers!

Sign up for a new subscription and use my affiliate code EATSPEAKTHINK to receive a free bonus month!

I've earned many continuing education credits by listening to courses as I drove from one patient's home to another.

🎁 Featured EST post & handout

You can access all free Eat, Speak, & Think PDF downloads in the password-protected Free Subscription Library.

  • ​Treat EST to a coffee and you'll get the Mini Resource Binder (84 pages).
  • Become a member at the "Supporter" level, and you'll receive the full Resource Binder (326 pages), plus updated editions. ($2/month or $20/year)

​9 free swallow assessment tools. Here you’ll find links and downloads to swallow-related questionnaires, rating scales, oral health exams, and three swallow tests.

​The handout: I fixed a broken link and updated the footer.

You can also find the Reflux Symptom Index and the Pill-5 screener via a web search.

🌐 Something worth sharing​
​

Thanks for reading!
​
Consider supporting EST by telling a friend or directly through Buy Me a Coffee.

​
Stay safe and be well,

Lisa
(she/her/hers)

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.

Read more from Eat, Speak, & Think
An older man is holding a glass of water in one hand while covering his mouth with the other hand, coughing. The title of the blog article appears in text to the right of the picture: "A practical way for SLPs to assess cough"

Hi Reader,I love when I come across a new swallow assessment resource that is practical and meaningful. In my new blog post, I share how SLPs can do an auditory-perceptual cough assessment, what to listen for, and how this can translate into clinical decision making. The new handout is a cheat sheet for SLPs, organized to make it easy to find relevant information at a glance. Feel free to share it with your colleagues! I recently learned about the SPEAK Project - a project that is taking real...

1 day ago • 3 min read

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...

about 1 month 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...

2 months ago • 4 min read