Marta Kazandjian, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, NBC-HWC, F-ASHA, and Dr. Cynthia X. Pan, MD, FACP, AGSF, join host Sarah Baar to explore why swallowing and communication are critical components of quality palliative care. Together, they share how speech-language pathologists can lead early conversations, align care with patient values, and make a bigger impact on interdisciplinary teams. Join us to learn practical strategies you can use to support whole-person care for patients with serious illness.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the evidence around CAPC’s “Clinical Training Recommendations for Speech-Language Pathologists Caring for Patients with Serious Illness”
• Apply evidence-based, practical strategies to address patient care issues, such as avoiding premature NPO orders, aligning care with patient values, and initiating early, inclusive serious illness conversations with a team approach
• Solve patient case scenarios involving patients with serious illness in need of palliative care and SLP expertise

Timestamps

• (00:00:00) Welcome

• (00:00:55) Understanding palliative care
• (00:08:10) Defining palliative care
• (00:10:45) The role of SLPs in palliative care
• (00:17:04) Interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare
• (00:22:44) The PARTNERS framework for serious illness conversations
• (00:28:11) The importance of prognosis in healthcare
• (00:32:00) Navigating serious illness conversations
• (00:39:12) Interdisciplinary communication in palliative care
• (00:44:51) Empowering patient voices in decision-making
• (00:48:13) Actionable takeaways for SLPs in palliative care

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