Associate Professor Felicity Bright

$110.00

Grace Gane presentation from Felicity Bright titled "Communication Matters".

As speech-language therapists, we know that communication matters. Yet communication does not always seem to be valued in the current landscape of stroke services which focus on early medical intervention, rapid impairment-focused assessment and intervention, and moving patients through stretched and often time-limited services. Despite the good intentions of those working in stroke, communication remains a leading aspect of 'care left undone' - care that is needed but not consistently prioritised or provided.

This Grace Gane Memorial Lecture makes visible why communication matters to people with stroke - and what aspects of communication matter. Drawing on exemplars from a research programme which examines how stroke services are provided and experienced, I will show how communication is inherently productive. At its best, communication builds therapeutic relationships, supports engagement, fosters hope, and supports well-being, all of which are important to people with stroke and their whānau. Importantly, these lay the foundations for reconstructing people's lives and living well after stroke.

There is a critical need to ensure that communication is valued, visible, prioritised, and supported in stroke care. While this requires speech-language therapists to keep prioritising communication, it is not only our responsibility. Communication is everyone's business. As such, it is essential to create services and systems that support everyone working in stroke to value and prioritise communication. Ensuring communication matters enables us to greatly improve the quality of care and enhance the experiences of people with stroke, their whānau, and healthcare practitioners.

NZSTA CPD unit allocation = 2 units

Conference delegates: please email the office at admin@speechtherapy.org.nz for special discounted rate to access.

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