Episode #113: Adapting the A-FROM to Dysphagia to Guide Whole-Person Care: A Conversation with Theresa Yao and Jocelen Hamilton

I’m Ellen Bernstein-Ellis, Director Emeritus of the Aphasia Treatment Program at Cal State East Bay and a member of the Aphasia Access Podcast Working Group. Aphasia Access strives to provide members with information, inspiration, and ideas that support their aphasia care through a variety of educational materials and resources.

I'm today's host for an episode that will feature Jocelen Hamilton and Theresa Yao from Stanford Healthcare. We will discuss how adapting the A-FROM to swallowing disorders can offer a person-centered approach to assessing and treating a person with dysphagia.

 

Guest Bios

   

Theresa Yao is a licensed speech language pathologist at Stanford healthcare and a lecturer at San Jose State University. Her clinical and research interests include head and neck cancer rehabilitation, voice disorders, dysphagia, and aphasia. She is passionate about serving people from diverse backgrounds with communication and swallowing disorders. She was a fellow for life of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship program, and co-founded the Bay Area's Swallowing Support group. She has been actively volunteering in community groups for stroke survivors who need communication support. She has always been a strong advocate for her patients and profession.

Jocelen Hamilton has practiced as a licensed speech language pathologist for 19 years. She specializes in management of communication and swallowing disorders in adults with head and neck cancer. She began her career at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and then joined the Stanford Outpatient Head and Neck Clinic in 2020. She also previously served as a clinical assistant professor for the University of Iowa's Communication Sciences and Disorders department with a focus on supervising graduate students and helping individuals with strokes and brain injuries. Her current clinical interests center around the development of frameworks to facilitate whole person care for individuals with swallowing disorders.

 

Listener Take-aways

• Think creatively about how to apply the A-FROM to other communication disorders, like swallowing
• Learn how dysphagia can impact the participation, environment and personal domains
• Consider some PROs that help to capture the impact of dysphagia on quality of life of both the patient and the caregiver
• Explore some ways to adapt EMRs to incorporate A-FROM or Swal-FROM into your daily notes

Show notes edited for conciseness and clarity

Ellen Bernstein-Ellis

So I'm excited to have both of you here today. Thank you and welcome, Theresa.

 

Theresa Yao  00:55

Thank you, Ellen. I'm glad to be here.

 

Ellen Bernstein-Ellis  00:57

And Jocelen you too.

 

Jocelen Hamilton  00:59

Yes. Thank you so much for having us.