The Pulse

Bernadette, Savannah, Brooke

Team Champions
Bernadette Guy, M.S., CCC-SLP, Savannah Smith, M.A., CCC-SLP, and Brooke Hierholzer, M.S., CFY-SLP, comprise the speech-language pathology (SLP) team at Dolphin Pointe Health Care Center in Jacksonville, FL. They have excelled with implementation of OmniME™ (Synchrony Dysphagia Solutions by ACP^® and OmniFlow^® Breathing Therapy Biofeedback System).

Respiratory Muscle Training Research Summaries:

This 53-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) was admitted to a transitional care unit following hospitalization for aspiration pneumonia with sepsis (life-threatening body response to infection). She had severe weakness and oropharyngeal dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). As a result, she was referred for rehabilitation services including speech therapy to improve her swallow function. This woman has a history of dysphagia with swallowing treatments due to her MS diagnosis, but prior to hospitalization she consumed a regular diet with thin liquids.

Celebrate Success!

Synchrony: Mendelsohn Maneuver

Mendelsohn Maneuver is not commonly utilized as a swallowing intervention, but has been shown to provide lasting rehabilitative effects.

This 80-year-old woman experienced severe debility following hospitalization for COVID-19 with pneumonia. She was referred to a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation services including speech therapy to address poor voice quality, and difficulty breathing while eating. She also required 3 liters per minute of supplemental oxygen. Prior to hospitalization, she had no limitations in speaking and eating.

Dysphagia Research Summaries:

Focused Clinical Application
Synchrony: Skill-Based Typical Swallow Interventions

Improving Speech and Swallowing Using sEMG and Breathing Therapy Biofeedback