Unlocking the power of communication
Communication is a fundamental human need. It is how we express ourselves, connect with others, learn, and navigate the world. But for millions of people, communication challenges can create significant barriers to these vital aspects of life. This is where speech therapy steps in, offering powerful tools to address these challenges and unlock the potential of communication.
However, communication is not the only challenge that speech therapists can address. Their scope reaches far beyond the spoken word. They can also help evaluate and treat lingering cognitive symptoms from concussions or lasting effects from COVID-19, autism, other cognitive challenges, Parkinson’s and other progressive neurogenerative disorders, head and neck cancers, swallowing disorders, GERD, and spinal cord injuries, to name a few.
Linda Falk, MS, a Haxtun native, has over 30 years of experience backing her as she builds a Speech Therapy program at Haxtun Health. She returned to her hometown, looking for a place where she could spend more one-on-one time with her patients, giving her the chance to build long-lasting relationships with them. “I grew up here in Haxtun, so it has always been a special place to me. When I found out they were looking for a Speech Therapist, I thought this is my chance to return home and make an impact in my community,” Linda stated.
Many years have passed since Haxtun Health had a speech therapist on staff, but we knew the people of this community could benefit from someone to step into the role and after speaking with Linda, we knew we found someone who was going to care for the people in this community as much as we do.
Haxtun Health already has an extensive Inpatient Rehabilitation program thriving on its campus, but we always knew we were missing a piece of the puzzle: speech therapy. Many patients are looking for care post-stroke when they are left with aphasia or difficulty speaking, among other complications. When asked what can be done for these individuals, Linda responded, “We would begin with a full speech-language-cognitive evaluation and very likely a swallowing evaluation. Depending on the findings, goals are developed to address the deficit areas to help the patient, which could include speech, language treatment for dysarthria or aphasia, swallowing treatment to adjust safety for return to eating with the safest, least restrictive diet and swallowing strategies, or cognitive-communication treatment to help improve safety, memory, and problem-solving.” Through these treatments and coaching, Linda can help them rebuild those communication skills and show them strategies for expressing needs and thoughts allowing them to return home safely.
Linda also works very closely with those that are suffering from dysphagia. Dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that makes it difficult and dangerous to eat or drink which has a detrimental effect on an individual’s overall health. Linda has abundant experience with coaching those struggling with dysphagia to help them improve their swallowing skills and reduce their risk of aspiration, or food and drink “going down the wrong way.”
Linda had this to say about dysphagia, “[It] can be a debilitating condition, making it difficult or even impossible to swallow foods and liquids safely. It can lead to a cascade of serious health problems such as malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration when the food or liquid enters the lungs rather than the stomach, which can lead to pneumonia, and even death.”
Linda serves children as young as preschool age through the geriatric populations in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. She is currently seeing patients in both Fleming and Haxtun. Visit with your primary care physician to see if you or your loved one could benefit from seeing a Speech Therapist. Schedule an appointment with one of our trusted providers at our Haxtun or Fleming location by calling us at 970774-6187.