SPEECH & LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
LOCATION – HOSPITAL
Haxtun Health Rehabilitation
255 W. Fletcher St., Haxtun, CO 80731
Phone: 970-774-6123
Speech & Language Therapy in Haxtun
Speech therapy empowers individuals to communicate effectively, unlocking a world of connection and confidence.
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.
The Role of Speech Therapists
Speech therapists, also known as speech-language pathologists (SLPs), play a crucial role in diagnosing and treating communication and swallowing disorders in people of all ages. Their work is diverse, encompassing various responsibilities and skills.
Understanding Speech Therapy
Speech therapy is a field dedicated to the treatment of speech and language disorders. It aims to improve communication skills in individuals who have difficulty speaking, understanding, reading, writing, or swallowing. The disorders can be due to various reasons, including developmental delays, stroke, brain injuries, learning disabilities, hearing loss, or neurological diagnoses (cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, MS).
Assessment and Diagnosis
A significant part of a speech therapist’s job involves assessing and diagnosing speech, language, voice, stuttering, cognitive-communication, and oral/feeding/swallowing skills. This assessment helps them identify the type of communication problems and the best way to treat them. They use special instruments and qualitative and quantitative assessment methods to evaluate patients’ speech and language abilities and the nature of the disorder.
Treatment Plans
Based on the diagnosis, speech therapists develop individualized treatment plans tailored to each patient’s specific needs. These plans involve various therapeutic techniques and activities designed to improve their speech and language skills. For instance, they may use repetition exercises to help improve speech fluency or sound games to help a child learn particular words. To help support cognitive challenges after an injury, the SLP will introduce compensatory strategies to help regain independence at home or in the community.
Collaboration with Other Professionals
SLPs often collaborate with other professionals, such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, audiologists, and social workers, to provide comprehensive care. For example, they might work with teachers to help children with speech disorders succeed in school or with medical professionals to help stroke patients relearn how to swallow and speak.
Education and Counseling
Speech therapists also educate patients and their families about speech/language/swallowing disorders and how to cope with them. They provide strategies for practicing communication skills at home and offer emotional support to patients and families dealing with speech and language disorders.
Aging Population
SLPs play a crucial role in supporting the aging population. As people age, several changes occur in their speech, language, memory, and swallowing patterns. They can distinguish between normal age-related changes and disordered communication or swallowing function. They assess speech, language, and cognitive abilities to identify any impairments. Oftentimes the aging population and struggle with communication and swallowing disorders, largely effecting their quality of life. Speech therapists provide vital services to individuals who experience communication, cognitive, or swallowing impairments due to illness, trauma, or disease. They work with patients recovering from strokes, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or other conditions. Through personalized assessments and targeted exercises, SLPs help older adults regain their voice and reconnect with the world around them.
Impact
Speech therapists play an indispensable role in helping individuals overcome communication barriers. Their work not only improves patients’ speech and language skills but also enhances their quality of life and self-esteem. Whether it’s helping a child pronounce words correctly, assisting a stroke survivor in regaining speech, or aiding an individual in swallowing safely, the impact of speech therapists is profound and far-reaching.
Speech Therapy at Haxtun Health
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.
Learn more about Linda here.
Linda Falk
MS, CCC-SLP