Auxiliary donation purchases chair for speech pathology patients at Mile Bluff

Auxiliary donation purchases chair for speech pathology patients at Mile Bluff

by Kathy Behnke

She always knew that she wanted to make a career out of helping people, and the more she learned about speech pathology, the more fascinated she became. Colleen Quinn is a state-licensed, nationally-certified speech pathologist at Mile Bluff who has been serving patients for over 20 years. She works with individuals in the outpatient, inpatient and nursing home settings. She enhances speech/language development and corrects swallowing difficulties in adult and geriatric patients.

Most people are familiar with the speech side of her practice - assisting children with delays in learning to speak or developing language, and helping individuals with other communication deficits. The part of her specialty that many are not familiar with is the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment she provides for those who have difficulty swallowing (dysphagia). Some of the common causes of dysphagia include: stroke, dementia, Parkinsons Disease, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, head and neck cancers, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and surgery of the head or neck.

Swallowing difficulties are common and can be helped in a number of different ways. It is important to know that there are options available. Colleen explains, “There are different ways to determine what is causing swallowing issues. One way to do this is to perform a bedside swallow evaluation. I observe individuals as they eat a meal, and can many times tell what is causing the trouble, and what I can do to help.”

She continued, “Other times I need to actually see what is going on inside the patients to determine how to best help them, so a modified barium swallow study is completed. This entails having the individual swallow liquids and solids of different consistencies, each mixed with a little bit of barium. This allows the radiologist and I to see the swallow in real time, and to see how the swallow changes with different consistencies or different swallowing techniques that are tried during the study.”

With a generous donation from Mile Bluff’s auxiliary, a new piece of equipment has been purchased to help enhance these procedures. Colleen explains, “A specialized chair is needed when completing swallow studies, in order for the patient to be positioned in a way that allows the X-ray equipment to visualize the swallow as it occurs. During the study we want to see patients swallowing as close to, or as similar to how they are swallowing in their home environment. To obtain this, we want them in a comfortable, natural position. This new chair allows for this to occur, as we can adjust the chair to meet each patient’s specific seating needs.”

For those who have dysphagia, eating and drinking can be scary and challenging at times. When that fear takes over, it can lead to dehydration, malnutrition and even pneumonia. These serious complications can be avoided with intervention. Colleen stressed the importance of not giving up, “You should never feel that there is no hope; try therapy! Not everything can be ‘fixed,’ but there are many things that can be done to help compensate for swallowing issues - exercises, posture changes, diet adjustments, taking smaller bites, etc.”

For more information on the speech pathology services available at Mile Bluff Medical Center, call 608-847-1414, or talk to your primary care provider about getting a referral to see Colleen.

Symptoms of dysphagia:

• difficulty swallowing foods, liquids and saliva

• coughing or choking while swallowing

• drooling

• needing to swallow repeatedly

• ‘wet’ or gurgling voice

• food sticking to cheeks or other areas of the mouth

• avoiding certain types of food because they’re hard to swallow

Locations:

Elroy Family Medical Center

Necedah Family Medical Center

Delton Family Medical Center