Due to international travel in August and September with internet and time zone constraints,
consultations are temporarily paused and will resume in October 2024.
Speech-Language Pathologist Consultations
I want to help you provide valuable and effective therapy services to individuals with dementia with confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.
Be Light Care Consultations are provided virtually via Zoom for one hour with Adria Thompson. This consultation will count toward your ASHA certification hours. After each consultation, you will receive a post-consultation review document covering all the in-depth topics discussed and a verification of attendance to submit to ASHA..
"HOW DO I KNOW WHAT STAGE THEY'RE IN...
AND DOES IT REALLY MATTER?"
ASSESSMENT
If we can’t get an accurate understanding of the abilities and deficits of our patients with dementia from our evaluations, we set ourselves up for frustration and failure. Appropriate expectations of our patients based on their type and stage of dementia is the foundation for everything we do. I want to teach you how to conduct the Brief Cognitive Rating Scale (BCRS) in a 5 minute non-confrontational conversation without them ever even knowing you are assessing their cognitive abilities. This is extremely important for individuals with mild dementia who are exhibiting anosognosia (deficit in insight to their condition) who would otherwise refuse to have their memory tested.
During our consultation you can receive:
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Step-by-step instructions for administering the BCRS
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Training in the types of dementia and implications of each on cognitive-communication skills
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Education about the neurological underlying impairments that impact our patient’s behavior
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Guidance in determining the correct frequency and duration for your patients
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Skills to know who to “pick up” on therapy services
"I'M STRUGGLING TO DOCUMENT MY SKILL."
DOCUMENTATION
You may be the most gifted SLP on planet earth, but if your documentation isn’t strong, you can still be denied reimbursement by insurance. So much of our therapy with individuals with dementia feels like common sense, but if other unskilled caregivers aren’t doing what we are doing and having the same outcomes then it is skilled, my friend. I will show you the terminology that takes our documentation to the next level. Knowing how to describe what you are seeing in clinical terms can make a huge difference. Would you like to talk about goals? I’ve got goals for days. Let’s dive into the appropriate goals we should be writing based on the type and stage of dementia our patients exhibit.
In our consultation you can receive:
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Goal templates to customize using what you know about your patient’s spared abilities
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List of neurological conditions and terminology to beef up your documentation
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Guidance in how to document what you are seeing when it’s extremely hard to describe
"I'M RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS FOR
MY TREATMENT SESSIONS."
INTERVENTION
Do you ever feel the panic that runs through your body as you are looking at a patient and have no idea how you are going to spend the next 45 minutes? Or do you feel like it’s Groundhog’s Day because each treatment is the same with little to no changes? I will walk you through how to know what our role is in issues like frequent falls, weight loss, combative behaviors, refusal of care, activity participation, medication refusal, and hallucinations. I may also challenge you to get involved issues related to ADLs to determine how we can use our expertise in communication to assist caregivers in providing care.
In your consultation you can receive:
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Direction in determining the appropriate evidenced-based interventions to trial and how to know what “works”
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Effective communication strategies for common behavioral issues seen in individuals with dementia
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Questions to ask other medical professionals for collaboration and to guide your functional treatments
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Guidance in the use of Montessori-based activities and how to implement in your communities and sessions
"I NEVER GET CARRYOVER FROM CAREGIVERS."
TRAINING AND ADVOCACY
Nothing can get under your skin like receiving a referral for a specific issue in a patient you’ve already addressed and trained staff in interventions of which no one is implementing. Take a deep breath. I’ve been there. Let’s figure out where the breakdown is occurring. Perhaps the staff doesn't understand the why behind your recommendations, therefore they aren’t as likely to follow through? Maybe the turnover in staff means you have a 12 new people to train? Or, maybe the caregiver is a spouse who is deep in denial? Let me help you navigate these challenges and give you guidance in practical strategies to be the advocate your patient desperately needs.
In your consultation you can receive:
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Examples of written cognitive communication recommendations to provide caregivers for review and reference
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Inservice topics and trainings you can provide to facility staff for improved carryover and referrals
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Tips in communicating with family or friends who may be in denial
HOW DOES THIS COUNT TOWARD ASHA CERTIFICATION?
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Certificate of Clinical Competence for Speech-Language-Pathologists (CCC-SLP) requires 30+ hours every 3 years in professional development hours (PDH). One avenue for PDHs are continuing education units (CEUs) which are pre-approved but that is not the only the only way you can meet the professional development requirement for certification maintenance. There are many other acceptable activities that qualify as PDHs. This consultation has been approved by ASHA's Certification Program Coordinator. You will receive a verification of attendance form at the end of the consultation for submission to ASHA in case of an audit. For more information, please watch this video.
YOUR
PERSONALIZED
FOLLOW-UP DOCUMENT
After our consultation, I will provide you with a detailed document outlining everything discussed during our virtual session. It will include definitions of the terms discussed, examples of goals, research articles referred to, links to online resources, and anything else that is beneficial. This way, you don't have to focus on taking notes and we can spend all our time finding solutions to the issues you are facing.
Here you will find an example document
you may receive after our session.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can more than one person join the consultation?
If you desire this consultation to count toward your ASHA professional development hours, only one person is permitted on the call. If you desire to have multiple SLPs on the call, pleases contact me for pricing.
Can I have a consultation that is less than one hour?
At this time, I am only doing 60-minute consultations. Follow me on social media @belightcare on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok in order to keep up with any special offerings.
Can SLP students receive a consult?
Absolutely! If you would love to have a better understanding of dementia therapy or how to specialize in our field, I'd love to chat! Keep in mind, this will not count toward any professional development hours for students.
What should I NOT expect during this consultation?
During these consulations, I will not be able to (1) provide you any guidance in creating a private practice, (2) provide any legal assistance or advice, (3) provide you with any certification about dementia or any other special interest, or (4) provide you with ASHA pre-approved certification maintenance units for this hour.
I'm not sure if you can help with my specific situation. How can I contact you?
Please send me an email! If you have a special circumstance or concern that you would like to make sure I can speak to, I would love to be able to discuss that with you. You can email me at info@belightcare.com or click “Contact Me” on my website.