Course Description:
This course is designed to equip both formal and informal caregivers of individuals with Huntington’s Disease (HD) with the essential knowledge and skills for providing comprehensive care. While each Huntington Academy course focuses on a specific aspect of HD care provision, it’s important to recognize that HD challenges should be approached in a holistic way. As a result, many of the Huntington Academy courses are interconnected, with overlapping content that reinforces a comprehensive approach to care.
This specific course equips participants with the knowledge and skills needed to support individuals with HD and their caregivers in improving communication, speech and swallowing abilities through prevention, education, and personalized care plans. Additionally, participants will learn practical strategies to manage the challenges of dysarthria and dysphagia at various stages of the disease.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Acknowledge that the speech therapist plays a comprehensive role in the management of HD, addressing communication and feeding, with a strong focus on education, prevention, and support
- Gain new skills to address speech and swallowing changes in individuals with HD
- Understand the distinct challenges speech therapists face across HD stages
- Recognize the relevance of effectively addressing communication and swallowing difficulties to improve the quality of life of individuals with HD
- Better manage dysarthria in individuals with HD
- Better manage dysphagia in individuals with HD
- Apply new strategies to encourage independence and autonomy in eating
- Identify key features of an expert in HD speech therapy
- Learn from personal testimonies of HD formal and informal caregivers to gain insight into the human impact of HD and improve care strategies
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