Speech-language pathology professor, students present at community engagement symposium

By Kate Hunger 

A professor and two graduate students from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders’ speech-language pathology program participated in the 2019 Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science (IIMS) Community Engagement Symposium.

Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Professor Rocío Norman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, and second-year speech-language pathology master’s students Prithvi Patel and Joy-Alexandra Sabattus presented on the topic of managing communication and swallowing for adults with dementia at the October symposium. They shared results received from surveys of caregivers attending Caring for the Caregiver, an educational program for caregivers of people with dementia. 

Facilitated by the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, Caring for the Caregiver includes hands-on skills training workshops from a range of disciplines, including occupational therapy, nursing care, nutrition management, dental hygiene, speech-language pathology, audiology, physical therapy, difficult behaviors, and urology/bowel/bladder.

The surveys were conducted by the School of Nursing and provided qualitative data, Patel said. 

“They said it was very beneficial,” Patel said of the survey respondents’ feedback about the speech-language piece of the workshops.

Also participating in the presentation was Jennifer Brackett, MS, special events coordinator for Caring for the Caregiver. 

Norman, Patel, and Sabattus will share their presentation at the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention in February.