Speak Out December 2019 V2 DIGITAL EDITION

Aged care

"A big challenge speech pathologists face is educating the community on what we do and how we can help."

Association’s state SPA Private Practice Seminars on ‘Lessons Learned in Private Practice’. It has been a busy year supporting SPA, having represented SPA as key stakeholder representative for the review of the new Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Allied Health Arrangements and participating in the Association’s future strategic directions workshop in Melbourne with the Association’s Chief Executive Officer Gail Mulcair. The facilitated workshop focused on current issues and emerging trends impacting the profession, and the challenges and opportunities the Association can embrace in the interests of its members, clients and communities it serves. What’s the best part about your job? Do you have an area of particular passion in speech pathology? I truly enjoy education and empowering those who care and support seniors to understand swallowing and communication disorders and their needs. It is awesome to support the amazing Loqui Speech Pathology team, to grow the Loqui business and create strong career pathways for speech pathologists in the community and aged care setting. I am really at home in a commercial kitchen with chefs, creating shared learnings which ultimately support people with dysphagia to live their best life. Food is vital for life. Enjoying a meal with others connects us, supports communication and should be a joyful experience. Aged care chefs are under enormous pressures, they are hungry for knowledge and truly want to help the people they are nourishing. Working with catering teams to help them understand dysphagia and the significant impact they can have is very rewarding for me. What do you think are the key opportunities and challenges for speech pathologists in aged care? We have just seen the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Interim Report released. Commissioners, Richard Tracey and Lynelle Briggs describe the many problems that older people and their families are having trying to get access to aged care services. It identified the dispiriting nature of residential care, identified disheartening issues such as an underpaid, undervalued and insufficiently trained workforce, and also the isolation of young people with disabilities. With the current funding model in aged care our scope of practice is primarily limited to dysphagia supports. With advocacy and clever design, we can change the thinking of organisations to understand the incredible benefits of working with their speech pathologist to support people with communication and cognitive communication impairments improve their social participation

and mental health. Speech pathologists have a significant role in improving concerns around food in aged care, mealtime supports, loneliness and choice and control in people’s care. We can educate care, clinical and catering teams to understand how they can support a person with communication and/or swallowing difficulties. I desperately want to see more cognitive communication programs in community and aged care settings. I see communication empowerment and communication partnership training greatly improving the issues of loneliness and depression in aged care. The sector is changing rapidly; we have a voice and need to advocate for our services. It is hoped the anticipated aged care funding reform will change from a disablement model to person- centred enablement, and restorative model of care. Another key area of growth is strong and supportive student clinical placements in aged care. This will involve collaborative links and careful business co-design with aged care organisations, universities and the private practitioners who support aged care facilities. A big challenge speech pathologists face is educating the community on what we do and how we can help. Clients, families, professionals and organisations often have a limited understanding of our scope of practices and supports. We need to continually advocate and inform the community that we are specialists in communication and mealtime supports. It is wonderful to see the Association spread the word and increase our profile though marketing, social media and events such as SPA week. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a regular presence on national breakfast shows and radio programs titled, Ask a speech pathologist? Where to from here? What’s next? Community and aged care speech pathology is in a rapid and unprecedented time of change. The intense disruption that is likely to eventuate from the Aged Care Royal Commission, the new Aged Care Standards and NDIS means we are constantly reviewing policy and the national landscape of our supports. I will continue my involvement with the Lantern Project to advocate for the important role speech pathologists have in improving the mealtime experience and supports for the millions of Australians with swallowing disorders. In the next year, I will be focusing on my business and leadership skills to embrace our vision and foster each team members’ amazing individual ideas to enhance our service delivery, staff satisfaction and positive outcomes for all our clients and key stakeholders.

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December 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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