Veteran Affairs (VA) Courses CEU Courses for SLPs

This is Part 1 of a two-part series about alternate nutrition and hydration (ANH). This course reviews patient and family concerns that impact the ANH decision-making process, including religious beliefs and culture. Advance directives are discussed and and resources for patients/families are provided.

Social distancing and isolation associated with the COVID-10 pandemic have begun to take a toll on patients in residential settings, but SLPs can help mitigate the long-term consequences. This course will discuss the risk factors for and effects of isolation, as well as potential strategies to prevent or reverse pandemic-related cognitive decline.

This course will discuss the impact of cognitive deficits on patient outcomes, review relevant research, and provide a clinical model for selecting, developing, personalizing, and implementing external cognitive aids for individuals with acquired neurological deficits. Differences in aids across the severity spectrum of cognitive deficits and for individuals with varying diagnoses will be discussed.

Standardization of measures used in the interpretation of videofluoroscopic swallow studies is necessary to facilitate communication across providers and to ensure the correct application of rehabilitation and compensatory strategies. This course will review the many videofluoroscopic swallow study metrics that are utilized across different stages of the lifespan, and report on the evidence that supports their correlation to treatment.

This course will focus on cognitive-communication intervention strategies for various dementia presentations and will provide a review of evidence-based treatment. Behavioral frameworks along with their rationales will be introduced and applied across several dementia types and mild, moderate and severe levels of impairment.

This course will discuss how face masks and other Covid-19 responses such as social distancing may impact communication in healthcare settings, particularly for people with hearing loss. It will provide strategies that professionals can use to optimize communication for all patients when face masks are worn.

This is Part 1 of a two-part series demonstrating the evidence related to neurogenic dysphagia resulting from various motor disorders in older adults. The bodily systems involved in dysphagia will be elucidated and advice for applying these concepts to clinical practice will be provided. Case studies of individuals with Huntington's Disease, Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia will be presented. (Part 2 is Course 9186)

This course will provide evidence-based information to refresh and update the SLP's knowledge on the topic of clinical voice evaluation, in the areas of perceptual and instrumental assessment of the voice. This course is open captioned.

This course will review the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for SLPs, with a focus on counseling and behavioral change for adults with aphasia or cognitive deficits following acquired brain injury. Literature updates and case examples from the presenter's clinical practice will be included.

This is Part 3 of a three-part series. This course will provide an introduction to the emotional and spiritual issues related to end-of-life care and how the SLP can support patients in having a "good death." Suggestions for changing institutional landscapes to support quality end-of-life care will be discussed.