Please Select a Workshop:

Comprehensive DPNS

• Workshop Goals

Comprehensive Dementia

• Workshop Goals

Organic Dysphagia Evaluation and Treatment
(with DPNS Certification)

• Workshop Goals

Comprehensive DPNS Workshop

This three day conference is for Speech Language Pathologists who have their CCC and/or CFY and have intermediate knowledge/skill in the treatment of dysphagia. Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular Stimulation (DPNS) is a therapeutic technique for adults developed at a major hospital system in Florida during the period11/91 through 11/93. Karlene Stefanakos, MA, CCC-SLP developed this therapy for dysphagic patients over her 20 year career after finding "traditional" mechanical compensatory dysphagia techniques to be largely ineffective to habituate as a lifestyle change among patients. Because of this, the dysphagic patient all too often becomes prone to chronic weight loss, habitual use of nutritional supplements, episodic dehydration, noncompliance in utilization of compensatory swallow techniques and high risk for aspiration pneumonias which result in physical deterioration and/or death.

Traditional compensatory techniques have as their focus minimizing the function/effect of pharyngeal musculature which exhibits decreased muscle strength, endurance, absent or diminished reflex responses and discoordination between the pharyngeal reflexes which disrupt the swallow function. DPNS is a systematized therapeutic method for pharyngeal dysphagia which utilizes "direct" neuromuscular stimulation to the pharyngeal musculature to restore muscle strength, endurance, pharyngeal reflex responses and pharyngeal reflex coordination for a restored, coordinated swallow response.

DPNS is a systematized therapeutic method for pharyngeal dysphagia which utilizes eleven specific stimulation techniques within the oral/pharyngeal areas. DPNS study results indicate DPNS improves and/or restores oral/pharyngeal muscle strength, endurance, and pharyngeal reflex functions which are necessary in the total swallow function. The ongoing study of the results of DPNS strongly indicate a high efficacy rate for patients with varying neurological etiologies.

Speech Language Pathologists will be instructed via classroom demonstration in Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular stimulation (DPNS) and in the use of a 9 volt electrical stimulator for the Facial Muscle Exercise Program (FMEP). The electrical stimulator is an over -the-counter product.

The Workshop will also concentrate on salivation management (pharmacological & prosthetic), cranial nerve lesion sites and their impact on the oral-pharyngeal swallow function, reflex competency assessment, CN sensory tract assessment, Medicare law HCFA/CMS clinical indicators, and documentation-- evaluation through discharge. Six classrooms with one-on-one instruction will be provided to enable participants to apply lecture information in their clinical settings.

back to overviews

Comprehensive Dementia

This three day conference is for speech language pathologists who have their CCC and/or CFY and have initial knowledge/skill in the treatment/management of dementia. In a year-long speech language pathologist (SLP) Survey done by the Speech Team, Inc., a workshop on dementia assessment and treatment/management was requested by a 3 to 1 margin. In response to these requests, COMPHREHENSIVE DEMENTIA has been developed for the SLP who works with dementia patients and who wants to understand their role in the management of dementia - from legal citation and mandate to discharge summary.

COMPREHENSIVE DEMENTIA is a full scope workshop which provides the speech language pathologist with a deep knowledge base of their role in the assessment and treatment/management of their dementia patients. Comprehensive in-depth lectures and classrooms cover Medicare law 1965 to present, HCFA/CMS Transmittal 46, OBRA guidelines, MDS 2.0, and HCFA/CMS Quality Indicators.

In this workshop, dementia assessment and treatment/management skills taught and utilitzed in participant classroom sessions. Three interactive classrooms with one-on-one guidance will train the speech language pathologist on formal and informal state-of-the-art tools for the development of a "continuum of care management program" for the dementia patient. The attendee will be provided with and trained on a "Functional Maintenance Program" paper system which they can take and utilize in their SNF/ALF/outpatient daycare environments.

ASHA CEUs: 2.2 or 22 hours

back to overviews

Workshop Registration

Registration Time:

Comprehensive DPNS Workshop: Friday, 2:00 PM

Comprehensive Dementia Workshop: Friday, 12:30 PM

IMPORTANT: No one will be admitted after the first 15 minutes.

Registration Fees:

Comprehensive DPNS Workshop (3 Days) - $450.00. Fee includes handout materials & text, light supper Friday night, continental breakfast and lunch Saturday and Sunday.

Comprehensive Dementia Workshop (3 days) - $450.00. Fee includes materials and meals as above.

Click here for our fax registration form or call (888) 900-2163 to register by phone.

Early registration is encouraged as seating is limited! (Max capacity = 60 participants). Attendee must be CFY status, minimum.

Cancellation Fee: $25.00 administration fee if canceled more than 10 days prior to conference. $75,00 if canceled less than 10 days prior to conference; no refund is given if canceled less than 5 days prior to conference; 100% refund (Tuition Only) will be given if conference is canceled or postponed due to unforeseeable circumstances. Hotels (all locations): Room rates will change when block of rooms reserved is filled.

Speech Team Workshops

In our workshops, Speech Pathologists will be introduced via classroom demonstration to Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular Stimulation (DPNS), and in the use of a neural prosthesis for the facial muscle exercise program (FMEP). The neural prosthesis is an over the counter product.

Please select a category above.

To: Registrants for Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular Stimulation Workshop

From: Dr. Blaise Scollard
Supervisor Speech Pathology Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is sponsoring a three day workshop on Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular Stimulation (DPNS) October 12-14, 2001. I had first heard about DPNS from other speech pathologists working with patients who had not made changes with swallowing proficiency following use of traditional therapeutic intervention i.e. texture changes and alterations in feeding techniques. They spoke of changes in neurological aspects of swallowing following administration of this program. I had been treating a number of patients, who following a brain injury, were cognitively intact, but who were still unable to swallow. A method for directly impacting and improving the neuromuscular aspects of swallowing sounded promising. I found the Speech Team web site on the Internet and read their description of the diagnostic and treatment strategies. The program involved a systematized approach to directly stimulating pharyngeal musculature to improve muscular strength, endurance, and to increase proficiency of reflexive swallowing responses.

I attended the DPNS workshop in October of 2000 and was both impressed with the innovative diagnostic approaches and a well conceived treatment protocol. The comprehensive diagnostic assessment pinpointed the main areas of neurological deficit, i.e., cranial nerves affected and provided a very specific treatment protocol to address each of the areas of neuromuscular weakness or incoordination. In addition to the benefits for swallowing, I have seen significant improvement in oral motor control and speech following DPNS. One of my closed head injured patients (post two years at time of DPNS initiation) who initially presented with a sever bite reflex and oral aphaxia is now communicating in full sentences.

Patients who have swallowing problems and who would benefit from having DPNS treatment are frequently seen in a number of settings including hospitals, nursing facilities, rehabilitation facilities, and outpatient clinics. To insure follow through for these patients, it is important that speech pathologists in each of the above settings receive the necessary training. It is for that reason that we are having the Speech Team present in the northwest region. All of our speech pathologists at Kaiser will be receiving training in DPNS and we look forward to attending the workshop with you. For those of you who treat Kaiser patients, this will be an added opportunity to further our collaborative efforts.

Sincerely,

Dr. Blaise Scollard Psy. D. CCC
Speech Pathology Supervisor Kaiser Permanente

The Participants of the DSPN Workshop will be able to:

• Discriminate & differentiate normal & abnormal oral pharyngeal anatomy/physiology of swallowing.
• Summarize principles (including advantages & limitations) of DPNS & FMEP in the management of dysphagia.
• Determine patient selection criteria.
• Differentiate the comparison of DPNS with other dysphagia treatment procedures.
• Participate in Demonstration Classrooms: DPNS/FMEP with one on one application.
• Establish DPNS/FMEP in your rehab setting.
• Identify liability issues in dysphagia management.
• Develop effective documentation for DPNS & FMEP.
• Differentiate the effects of cranial nerve lesion sites upon oral & pharyngeal swallow functions.
• Participate in demonstration classroom: Sensory and reflex competency assessment.
• Summarize principles effecting saliva management: pharmacological & prosthetic.
• Develop effective documentation for all DPNS techniques-evaluation through discharge in classroom groups.

back to overview

Participants in the Comprehensive Dementia Workshop will be able to:

• Determine dementia stages and behaviors associated with the dementia patient
• Develop appropriate functional maintenance programs and Care Plans for the dementia patient
• Determine and differentiate appropriate tools for dementia assessment and treatment management.
• Identify Medicare and OBRA guideline mandates for dementia assessment and treatment/ management programs.
• Develop effective documentation skills for functional maintenance programs for the dementia patient
• Participate in demonstration classrooms: assessment, treatment/management, documentation Summarize pharmacological principles affecting dementia management.

back to overviews

Please Select a Workshop below:

Comprehensive DPNS

Comprehensive Dementia

Organic Dysphagia - Evaluation & Treatment

Please select a Geography:

U.S.A.

International

Organic Dysphagia Evaluation and Treatment
with DPNS Certification

This three day workshop is for Speech Language Pathologists who have their CCC and/or CFY, and for DPNS certified SLPs. This course is designed to provide the attendee with a knowledge base for organic dysphagia evaluation and treatment. All attendees receive 2.2 ASHA CEUs.

Traditionally, speech language pathologists have been trained on a "symptomatic" rather than an "etiologically" based analysis process to describe the patient's dysphagic condition. However, analysis of a patient's symptoms i.e., "valleculae pooling", "pyriform sinus pooling", and "pharyngeal residues" does not allow the clinician to understand which organic sensory or motor mechanisms to treat in therapy. The clinician is left to "guess" as to whether they are to treat a sensory deficit, motor deficit, a reflex mechanism, or an autonomic function such as salivation. Skilled organic analysis allows the SLP to specifically determine the neurophysiological components creating dysphagia i.e., specific thermal receptors, specific muscles, specific reflexes, deficit parotid generation of salivation, etc., which then can be targeted in the patient's plan of care. Consequently, organic dysphagia analysis "leads" the clinician to understand the dysfunctional neurophysiological components which "create the symptoms". Organic analysis is a true and empowering step forward for the practicing SLP.

The workshop will concentrate on the organic foundations of the swallow - salivation, sensory systems, motor systems, reflex mechanisms, with additional information on drugs, and pathological
disease patterns. Extensive attention will be given to current medicare and OBRA Guidelines laws and documentation required to obtain maximal reimbursement. The participant will participate in interactive classrooms on specifric topics.

back to overviews

The participants will be able to:

• Discriminate and differentiate normal & abnormal oral/pharyngeal anatomy/physiology of swallowing
• Summarize principles (including advantages and limitations) of symptomatic vs. organic dysphagia evaluation and treatment planning
• Determine patient treatment plan criteria
• Participate in demonstration classrooms with one-on-one application
• Establish Organic Dysphagia Analysis in your rehab setting
• Develop effective medicare/OBRA documentation skills for dysphagia
• Differentiate the effects of cranial nerve lesion site upon oral & pharyngeal swallow functions
• Participate in demonstration classrooms: Sensory, Motor, and reflex competency assessments
• Summarize principles effecting saliva management: pharmacological & neurophysiological disease.

back to overviews