2/23/10

Therapist: Christine
Patient: I.
Diagnosis: Memory problems due to stroke. Relocating to assisted living facility in a week.
Session:

• Told lunch menu
• Christine had I. write it down
• Christine reminded the patient that she will be returning to the question of the lunch menu before the session is over.
• Show word game
• Patient is asked 3 things (rhyme, same letter, make sentence)
• Christine used words such as pie and wood.
• I. has trouble finding numbered directions
• Tied the soup example into another word game where they went back and forth naming soups (similar to category game)
• Christine had typed up I.'s family tree, so she could hang it by her bed. This helped I. remember her family's names.
  
• Christine also reiterated the importance of note taking for I. Since the patient will be moving back to assisted living shortly, Christine wants to remind her that she needs to have a way of keeping her brain in check.
  

After the session Christine explained to me St. Louis University Status Exams (SLUMS). They are a cognitive test that helps speech pathologists assess what (if anything) needs to be worked on, such as memory skills, communication skills, or general life skills. There are 30 points possible. Patients will take exam upon entry into Phoebe and when departing, to note of improvement. The test includes memory questions, math problems, simple word problems, and reading comprehension questions.