I have been doing a lot of reading and research about what “normal” aging looks like.  My neuroscience brain loves a good explanation, and while this article may be a bit more “sciency”, it’s still an interesting comparison. What are some examples of things we all do? Losing our keys, misplacing our readers (just me?), and forgetting that 4th item at the grocery store. What happens at the cellular level in normal aging?

Here's an article that talks about neurodegenerative changes in the brain with normal aging. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.931536/full

Here is another article that discusses quality-of-life approaches that are applicable to the treatment room. How do we provide education and support to caregivers and patients that is both evidence-based but also respects the goals of those we treat? https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/14/4207

Many SLPs are working with patients at varying degrees of dementia.  Whether it’s classified as Alzheimer’s, related to Parkinson’s disease, vascular or another subtype, what are you using to document the various stages?  The Global Deterioration Scale has been widely used for over 40 years!  Here is a resource that gives a deeper dive into these stages. https://www.alzinfo.org/understand-alzheimers/clinical-stages-of-alzheimers/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA75itBhA6EiwAkho9ewSGDrQVcdE-mhtsMpBKjQ2FZwiFVTLpdYFQPVCuZ8fRWUJvFj8cPBoCl_wQAvD_BwE

And I realize many SLPs do not want to spend more $$ that is not reimbursed by their employer. However, did you know that dementia certification exists? For those of us working in SNF/LTC and even in OP, is this a certification that is beneficial?  https://www.nccdp.org/cdp.htmI

I hope you found these articles interesting. If you have any comments or questions, I can be reached at https://community.speechtherapypd.com/c/adult-focused/ where I moderate the adult-focused topics. Join me at this private community page. Hope to see you there!