Speak Out April 2017

Swallowing Awareness Day

ABOVE: First year Master of Speech Pathology students from The University of Melbourne. AT RIGHT: Final year students, Iris Lee, Sophia Houng, Dominique Curran, Paul Lau, Laura Santoso and Rishni Perera. Clinical educators – Catherine Keating and Scott McNabb.

Students gain insight into the everyday reality of dysphagia

BEING AN EXCELLENT speech pathologist means more than just understanding the scientific underpinnings of a disorder. When working with an individual with dysphagia, an understanding of your client’s concerns, experiences and perspectives is critical for holistic, patient-centred practice. For this reason the Master of Speech Pathology students at The University of Melbourne decided to spend Swallowing Awareness Day participating in a thickened fluid challenge. Students were required to consume thickened fluids for one day to gain insight into the daily reality faced by many people living with dysphagia. “ Drinking only thickened fluids was a lot more challenging than I expected. It was a very valuable experience and gave me a greater

appreciation for the challenges people with dysphagia face every day. ” – Kaitlyn McCarthy, first year Master of Speech Pathology Student “ The experience was a great reminder of some of the difficulties that people with a swallowing impairment face daily; unlike myself they don’t have the luxury of simply reverting back to regular foods whenever they feel the need .” – Lauren Alley, final year Master of Speech Pathology. Megan Keage Lecturer in Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne

VIC branch celebrates

On the 15 March Vic Branch celebrated Swallowing Awareness Day at a restaurant evening that involved eating cheese, drinking wine and discussing the implications of Dysphagia, whilst raising awareness. A fun night was had by all that attended.

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April 2017 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Speak Out