Barbara OConnor Wells - A Caregivers Guide to Communication Problems from Brain Injury or Disease

A Caregivers Guide to Communication Problems from Brain Injury or Disease

A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book

A CAREGIVERS GUIDE TO

EDITED BY

Barbara OConnor Wells, PhD, CCC-SLP AND Connie K. Porcaro, PhD, CCC-SLP

Johns Hopkins University Press

Baltimore

Note to the reader: This book is not meant to substitute for medical care, and treatment should not be based solely on its contents. Instead, treatment must be developed in a dialogue between the individual and his or her physician. The book has been written to help with that dialogue.

2022 Johns Hopkins University Press

All rights reserved. Published 2022

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

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Johns Hopkins University Press

2715 North Charles Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363

www.press.jhu.edu

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: OConnor Wells, Barbara, 1972 editor. | Porcaro, Connie K., 1964 editor.

Title: A caregivers guide to communication problems from brain injury or disease / edited by Barbara OConnor Wells, PhD, CCC-SLP, Connie K. Porcaro, PhD, CCC-SLP.

Description: Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022. | Series: A Johns Hopkins press health book | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021006368 | ISBN 9781421442549 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781421442556 (paperback) | ISBN 9781421442563 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: BrainDiseasesHandbooks, manuals, etc. | BrainDiseasesPatientsCareHandbooks, manuals, etc. | People with mental disabilitiesCareHandbooks, manuals, etc.

Classification: LCC RC386 .C37 2022 | DDC 616.8dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006368

A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.

Chapter illustrations are from Adobe Stock inspired by drawings by Alexa Keintz. Illustrations in the appendixes are from iStock.com.

Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For more information, please contact Special Sales at .

To all patients and families we have had the blessing of working with throughout our careers. Your journey was the inspiration. We hope this book will help, inspire, and encourage those who follow.

Marissa A. Barrera, PhD, MSCS, CCC-SLP

Program Director and Associate Professor, Yeshiva University

Frederick DiCarlo, EdD, CCC-SLP

Associate Professor, Nova Southeastern University

Lea Kaploun, PhD, CCC-SLP

Associate Professor, Nova Southeastern University

Elizabeth Roberts, PhD, CCC-SLP

Associate Professor, Nova Southeastern University

Teresa Signorelli Pisano, PhD, CCC-SLP

Visiting Scholar (Retired), The Graduate Center of the City University of New York

We could not have taken the journey of editing and writing this book without the help and support of so many people. Words cannot express our gratitude for the role you played in helping us put our vision into print. Our thanks:

To the editorial team at Johns Hopkins University Press, for working so hard to put our manuscript into print. Special thanks to Joe Rusko, whose Christmas Eve 2019 email started this whole process, and to Adelene Jane Medrano, for supporting us through all the editorial steps.

To Dr. Michelle McRoy-Higgins, for graciously sharing her ideas on book proposals and how to navigate the publishing world. Her book Time to Talk: What You Need to Know About Your Childs Speech and Language Development inspired us to create a book for caregivers of persons with adult communication, memory, and swallowing disorders.

To Dr. Jackie Hinckley for advising and supporting us in the development of this book, providing her expertise as a chapter reviewer, and connecting us with caregivers and professional contacts at various stages in this process.

To Dr. Audrey Holland, a guru in adult language disorders and our professional idol, who read an earlier version of the book in its entirety and gave us her honest and helpful feedback.

To our contributors, who put their heart and soul into their respective chapters and met deadlines with patience and professionalism. We truly enjoyed taking this journey with you:

Dr. Elizabeth Roberts, who took inspiration from her grandparents and great-grandmother, as well as the many patients with dementia she has worked with over her professional career, to form a chapter filled with helpful ideas to meet the challenges of dementia.

Dr. Frederick DiCarlo, who shared his extensive theater background and passion for the arts, as well as his own clinical infusion of the arts in his professional practice, to give caregivers practical ways to help their loved ones continue to explore and enjoy the world, even with the challenges of communication impairment.

Dr. Lea Kaploun, who brought her substantial teaching experience in counseling and her clinical background in leading caregiver support groups and working with individuals who have communication impairment due to acquired brain injury and degenerative disease, to create her heartfelt and memorable chapter.

Dr. Marissa A. Barrera, who generously shared her extensive and globally renowned knowledge of swallowing disorders in her chapter to assist patients and caregivers in taking a more active role in their health care decisions related to nutrition.

Dr. Teresa Signorelli Pisano, who used her research and clinical background on healthy aging to create our first chapter, allowing readers to identify the normal aging process compared to the impacts of acquired brain injury and degenerative disease.

To Alexa Keintz, who meshed her knowledge of the field of speech-language pathology with her artistic talent to create the simple and informative illustrations that begin each chapter.

To the professionals who were carefully chosen, based on their expertise, to review individual chapters. Thank you for providing useful content and editing suggestions to ensure the reader would be armed with the most meaningful and up-to-date information. These reviewers included Dr. Michelle Bourgeois, Dr. Mario Landera, Dr. John McCarthy, Dr. Luis Riquelme, Dr. Kristy Weissling, and Dr. Christine Williams.

To the caregivers who reviewed individual chapters. We were so honored that you gave of your valuable time and shared your feedback on how the chapter you reviewed was meaningful to you and spoke to your own personal experience and struggles in caring for a loved one with a communication disorder.

And finally, to our beloved families, for your unconditional love, patience, and encouragement on the journey to creating this book. We are blessed beyond measure to have supportive spouses, children, and extended families. We are forever thankful for the greatest cheerleaders of all, our parents, June and Joe OConnor and Fran and Edward Himrich. We couldnt have done this without you all!

A Caregivers Guide to Communication Problems from Brain Injury or Disease