Meet the People Behind the Mission: Speech Therapy
Feb. 10, 2023
By Christina Diede

“I speak just fine; I don’t need a speech-language pathologist.”
I hear something along these lines when I talk to a new patient, especially from those who have no, or limited, previous experience with Speech Therapy. I agree, our name is kind of funny and doesn’t quite explain all the ways that we can help.
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs or STs) work to prevent, diagnose, and treat swallowing, communication, and cognitive-communication problems (specifically, problems with communication that have an underlying cause in a cognitive deficit rather than a primary language or speech deficit).
There are many reasons why you might have a swallow, communication, or cognitive-communication problem and sometimes you may have more than one! SLPs can help. Below are some of the more common reasons you may see an SLP. But even if you don’t see it below, you and your doctor may decide to have an SLP evaluate to determine if our services may be beneficial.
Eating, drinking, and swallowing…including pills.
Difficulty chewing or swallowing
Food remaining in the mouth after swallowing
Coughing or clearing the throat during or after swallowing
Feeling that something's stuck in the throat
Unintended weight loss
Aspiration pneumonia or frequent chest congestion
Radiation treatment or surgery to the mouth and neck area
Diagnosis of conditions like ALS, Dementia, Stroke or Parkinson's Disease
Communication (speech, language, voice)
Decline in ability to understand or produce speech
Trouble reading or writing
Difficulty being understood by others
Change in voice quality or loudness of speech
Poor stamina for holding a conversation
Radiation treatment or surgery to the mouth and neck area
Diagnosis of conditions like ALS, Dementia, Stroke or Parkinson's Disease
Memory and other thinking skills
Change in memory that is bothersome or concerning
Misunderstanding or losing track of conversation
Trouble with managing schedule, finances, medication, etc.
Difficulty learning new information or procedures
Trouble understanding time, money, or other abstract concepts
Impulsiveness that impairs safety
Diagnosis of condition such as Dementia, Stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis
Some problems start in childhood. Others happen after an illness or injury. Common diagnoses and conditions that SLPs provide assessment and treatment for include:
Strokes
Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS
Pneumonia, COPD
Dementia
Brain Injury
Oral, Head and Neck Cancer
Falls
Dysphagia (Swallowing problems)
After an illness or injury, a person may require an in-patient hospitalization and rehabilitation stay to regain strength and safety. During this time, they often learn how to adapt to changes or modify their lifestyle before they return home. After a person returns home, Home Health Care services step up to the plate! And that may include SLP services as well.
As a practicing SLP for almost 20 years, I’ve experienced multiple healthcare settings. Without a doubt, the Home Health Care environment has been the most rewarding. I attribute that to working with patients in their home environments. I can see “real-life” obstacles, barriers, and needs. We work together to create an individualized plan of care to help them achieve their goals. Additionally, Home Health Care can bridge the gap between inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs, providing a continuation of services.
If you are noticing any changes with your swallow, communication, or cognitive function, please reach out to your physician. You may be surprised how a Speech-Language Pathologist can make your life better!
Take our free online assessment to learn if home health care might be right for you or a loved one. To learn more about home health care with Ethos call (701)809-9319 or fill out a form for more information.
More about Christina
Christina earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2003 and her Master of Science degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2005. She offers broad experience in home health care, hospice, hospital, inpatient rehabilitation, assisted-living, long-term care, and outpatient rehabilitation settings. Christina is passionate about helping her patients achieve all goals but finds particular interest in treating areas of swallow, voice, and language impairment/aphasia. She is licensed in the states of North Dakota and Minnesota in Speech-Language Pathology, is certified in Lee Silverman Voice Training (LOUD) and VitalStim, and received a certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech Language Hearing Association.