Speech Pathology Service: Speech – Language pathology services are an intricate part
of the rehabilitation process at Brunswick Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Hospital.
Our speech – language
pathologists are responsible for providing high quality patient care services
to adult and geriatric populations with a wide variety of communication
disorders relating to disturbances of articulation, language, voice, resonance,
fluency, cognition, and swallowing. These services include conducting speech and language evaluations to
determine the patient’s current communicative abilities.
Therapists perform non-instrumental
swallowing evaluations to identify clinical symptoms of dysphagia and/or areas
of dysfunction in the oral stages of swallowing during the initial
evaluation. When indicated, an
instrumental swallowing evaluation is performed in conjunction with the
radiology department to objectively determine the safety and efficiency of the
patient’s swallowing ability and/or to identify the amount and cause of the
dysphagia. 
Furthermore, the
speech-language pathologists develop and recommend appropriate individualized
treatment/educational programs and provide direct therapeutic intervention to
improve communication skills and/or swallowing ability. Treatment goals are formulated with the
active input of the patient and his/her family. Audiological screenings are conducted to identify patients who
have a hearing impairment that may interfere with their ability to communicate
effectively. Lastly, speech-language
pathologists are involved in patient/family education, developing home therapy
programs and discharge planning.
