Commitment & imagination

Judy Rowlands and Angela Colton-Hudson are part of the Speech and Language Pathology (SLP) team at QCH.

In their field, treatment methods have been severely impacted in recent months.

Between the masks and the absence of family, Speech and Language Pathology

(SLP) has had its fair share of obstacles to overcome when treating patients, but that has done little to deter this team from achieving results.

One of the challenges masks poses is that patients and physicians alike rely on lip-reading during the course of treatment. Some older patients and persons with dementia may rely on those visual or auditory cues which are hindered by masks. Families can also play a large role in speech pathology. It is important for physicians to share their communication practices with the families and caregivers so they can support their family member’s recovery by continuing the practices at home.

Some of the ways treatment has adapted to these obstacles are with inventive uses of pictures and models to show mouth and tongue movements as well as plexiglass-ed rooms that allow physicians and patients to see each other's faces while staying safe.

One of the sources for the team’s inspiring perseverance is their total support for one another. Especially during this socially distant time, their practices of sharing their goals and struggles, safely distanced group meals, and their use of the hospital’s mindfulness breaks are immensely helpful in ensuring a team of strong and reliable individuals.

Recently, SLP has assisted in the recovery of a new father Khalid Eldali. Khalid had COVID-19 and was suffering from severe symptoms. The team was able to successfully care for him and helped rehabilitate his speech and swallowing allowing him to speak his first words to his wife after weeks on a ventilator.

Speech-language therapists are best known for swallowing rehabilitation, as it is one of the most common uses of their services.  Speech pathology is also with their purview and is very important to patient treatment, albeit in a slightly different way. And despite the lack-lustre food choices in swallowing treatment, the SLP team are all excellent chefs. Judy says, “Some days it’s hard to stay positive but our team is really well linked and are great at leaning on each other.”