Episodes 100 & 101: Deep Dive into End of Life Care for the SLP with Amanda Stead, PhD, CCC-SLP
A myriad of ethical, clinical, and logistical challenges can make it difficult to support patients near the end of life. SLPs can play a role in caring for people near the end of life, but clear understandings of ethical principles, documentation and roles is necessary. Dr. Stead discusses the importance of understanding grief and using counseling skills. She unpacks what to expect when working with those actively grieving and provides conversation starters and scripts that help you navigate difficult conversations. You’re going to want to have a pen and piece of paper nearby to take notes. It’s really good, ya’ll.
topics covered:
Key components of counseling for the SLP.
Conversation starters and scripts to use with patients and family members.
Challenges related to providing quality end-of-life care.
Compare and contrast hospice and palliative care settings.
Necessary components and factors related to advanced care planning documentation.
Episode 100
episode 101:
references
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2016). Scope of practice in speech-language pathology. Retrieved from https://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/SP2016-00343.pdf
Stead, A. & McDonnell, C. (2015). End of life care: An opportunity. Perspectives in Gerontology, 20(1), 12-15.
Pascoe, A. and Breen, L. and Cocks, N. 2015. Being prepared for working in palliative care: The speech pathology perspective. Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology. 17 (2): pp. 82-84.
Toner, M. & Shadden, B. (2012). End of Life: An Overview. Topics in Language disorders, 32(2). 111-118.
Stead, A., Dirks, K., Fryer, M., & Wong, S. (2020). Training Future Clinicians for Work in Palliative Care. Topics in Language Disorders, 20(3), 233-247. doi: 10.1097/TLD.0000000000000219
Hawksley R, Ludlow F, Buttimer H, Bloch S. (2017)Communication disorders in palliative care: investigating the views, attitudes and beliefs of speech and language therapists. Int J Palliat Nurs, 23:543.
Goldsmith, T., & Cohen, A. (2019, April). Swallowing disorders and aspiration in palliative care: Assessment and strategies for management. Retrieved May 2, 2019, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/swallowing-disorders-and-aspiration-in-palliative-care-assessment-and-strategies-for-management#references
Munn, D., Meier, A., & Williams, H. … Biola. (2008, August 1). End-of-Life Experience in Long-Term Care: Five Themes Identified From Focus Groups With Residents, Family Members, and Staff. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/48/4/485/618627
Pollens, R. D. (2012). Integrating Speech-Language Pathology Services in Palliative End-of-Life Care. Topics in Language Disorders, 32(2), 137–148. https://doi.org/10.1097/TLD.0b013e3182543533
resources mentioned in the episode and recommended by Dr. Stead
Books to Read:
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande (2014)
It’s okay that you’re not okay by Megan Devine (2017)
Extreme Measures by Jessica Zitter (2017)
On Living by Kerry Egan (2017)
Netflix Documentaries:
End Game (2018) is a documentary about the Zen Hospice Project (https://zencaregiving.org/) in California.
Extremis (2016) is a documentary short that takes place inside an intensive care unit and follows doctors, families, and patients as they make end-of-life decisions.
How to Die in Oregon is a documentary that focuses on families taking advantage of the death with dignity law in the state of Oregon.
Podcasts:
The Bitter End is a Radiolab podcast episode that discusses the seminal John Hopkins “precursor study” and the preferences doctors have for their EoLC as compared to the regular public (The Bitter End, 2013). https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/262588-bitter-end
Are you Ready for the Glorious Sunset (Dubner & Rosalsky, 2015), a Freakinomics podcast episode that explores the complex intersection of cost and healthcare as it considers the financial implications of EoLC https://freakonomics.com/podcast/are-you-ready-for-a-glorious-sunset-a-new-freakonomics-radio-episode/
Websites:
The Conversation Project (www.conversationproject.org)
End-of-Life issues in Speech Pathology - ASHA (https://www.asha.org/slp/clinical/endoflife/)
Thank you, Dr. Amanda Stead for these TERRIFIC resources!! And be sure to get your copy of Dr. Stead’s outline for our conversation:
Amanda Stead, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. Her research is in the area of language change in healthy aging and dementia and evidence based education is the area of geriatrics, End of life care and professional issues.
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