The Eastern Health Speech Pathology teams work with adults, adolescents and children with communication, thinking skills (cognition) and swallowing difficulties.
Communication difficulties may include problems with:
- Talking e.g. thinking of the right words to say
- Understanding what people are saying
- Following instructions
- Reading
- Writing
- Speech – producing the right sounds in words so that people can understand what you are saying
- A change in how your voice sounds
- Stuttering– difficulty getting your words out fluently/smoothly
Thinking skills (cognitive) difficulties may include problems with:
- Memory – remembering important events, details or things that happened recently. For example: remembering who came to visit you.
- Judgement – using common sense to make reasonable decisions. For example: you may find it hard to know when it is safe to cross the road.
- Planning – planning what you are going to do or where you are going. You may forget steps in tasks. For example: you may forget to put your socks on before your shoes.
- Attention – concentrating on things going on around you. For example: you may find it hard to watch a full episode on TV or talk to more than one person at one time.
- Problem solving – thinking about how to solve problems in a sensible way. For example: you may find it hard to think about all the information before making a decision.
- Insight – knowing what difficulties you have and what you are good at. For example: you may find it hard to know when you are doing things that are dangerous, or when you need help.
Communication and thinking (cognitive) difficulties can impact a person’s ability to participate in everyday activities such as:
- Talking with your family about your day
- Following a conversation
- Ordering a meal at a busy café
- Giving a presentation at work or school
- Performing complex work tasks
- Reading the newspaper or paying bills
- Writing a letter, email or birthday and Christmas card
Swallowing problems may include:
- A change in how safe and easy it is to swallow food and drink
- Difficulty chewing or swallowing food
- Coughing when eating or drinking
- A feeling that food gets ‘stuck’ in your throat
- Difficulties managing particular textures of food and liquids
Communication, thinking (cognition) and swallowing problems can be caused by:
- Damage to the brain e.g. following stroke, head injury or tumour
- Other conditions affecting the brain, e.g. Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease or Motor Neuron Disease
- Breathing difficulties, such as in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or if a breathing tube (tracheostomy) is needed
- Cancer affecting the head and neck
- Difficulties present at birth e.g. cleft palate, cerebral palsy; or during childhood, e.g. learning delay or disability
The Speech Pathologist works with people and their families, carers and friends to:
- Diagnose the type of communication and swallowing difficulty
- Work with other health professionals to diagnose cognition difficulties
- Provide advice and support
- Set goals that are important and relevant to each individual and their situation, such as returning to work, living independently, communicating with family and friends, and/or safely and comfortably eating a meal
- Provide therapy to support the communication, cognitive or swallowing skills required to reach these goals
| Address | All major sites across Eastern Health |
| Contact | P: 1300 342 255 or 1300 EH Call |
| Hours | 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday-Friday |