Speech Therapy

The Northern Nevada Medical Center communication therapy department is dedicated to improving quality of life through innovation and excellence in the evaluation, treatment, and management of patients with disorders of speech, voice, language, cognition, memory and swallowing. This is achieved by providing direct patient care, counseling and education within an interdisciplinary team. The communication therapy staff works with all disciplines, including: neurosciences, otolaryngology, radiology, gerontology and general medicine. Communication therapy services are provided to outpatients and hospitalized patients. Our clinical expertise and core values of compassion and respect demonstrate our firm commitment to providing the highest quality of care for our patients.

Patients served

Individuals with acquired difficulty in speech, language, memory, cognition, and swallowing secondary to:

• Stroke (CVA)
• Traumatic brain injury
• Neurological/post-neurological condition
• Neuromuscular disease
• Head and neck surgery

Specific disorders treated include:

• Aphasia
• Apraxia
• Dysarthria
• Dysphagia
• Voice disorders
• Laryngectomy
• Glossectomy

Services

Communication therapy provides a full range of evaluative, preventative, and rehabilitative services to those with communicative, cognitive and swallowing disorders. An individualized treatment plan focusing on reestablishing functional and reliable communication is implemented for each patient. Treatment goals may also address specific communicative-cognitive deficits through a variety of facilitatory and compensatory treatment techniques. Patients with swallowing disorders are seen for a comprehensive evaluation, which may include a videofluorographic swallowing study to achieve safe swallowing. Swallowing treatment and diet modification follow this as needed.

Staff

Our clinical staff includes three speech-language pathologists certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. As part of an academic medical institution, graduate students majoring in speech-language pathology also provide clinical services under direct supervision from clinical staff.