Speech Therapists play a crucial role in conducting assessments, developing individualized therapy plans, and providing ongoing support to patients and their families throughout the rehabilitation process. For example, Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) Speech Therapists help individuals living with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) maintain as many communication skills as possible. To increase the accessibility of care and therapy, the team collaborated with Parkinson Society Singapore (PSS) to assess the viability of group therapy via telehealth. Through this initiative, a wider pool of PD patients, including home bound and vulnerable individuals, have benefited from the increased access to therapy, in the comfort of their own homes.
Woodlands Health (WH) values collaboration and innovation, encouraging Speech Therapists to participate in interdisciplinary teams and quality improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing patient outcomes and experiences. For instance, to ensure that patients receive delicious texture modified food during their stay, WH Speech Therapists worked closely with the hospital’s Food Services to develop a International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) compatible menu. The Speech Therapists and Dietitians have also collaborated to develop a streamlined Dietitian-Speech Therapist combined case history taking process for patients with swallowing and nutrition concerns. Through this, both professions become even more aware of the swallowing and nutritional needs of the patients and a better understanding of each other’s work
Speech Therapists play a vital role in enhancing patient outcomes, contributing to Yishun Health (YH)'s mission of providing compassionate, comprehensive healthcare services. In 2023, Yishun Community Hospital (YCH) piloted a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme called “Let’s Go Makan!”. In collaboration with the Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Dietitians, stroke patients are guided by Speech Therapists as they purchase their own food from the hospital food court. The patients practice communication, demonstrate practical knowledge of making modifications to their diet and fluid to suit their swallowing abilities, and even money management, all in a practical context. This empowers and prepares stroke patients for a smoother transition from hospital to home, while achieving speech and swallow rehabilitation in a realistic situation.
Speech Therapists at Institute of Mental Health (IMH) play a vital role in addressing communication and swallowing difficulties among individuals with psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairments. Besides providing inpatient services, outpatient Speech Therapy clinics are also available in IMH. In addition to providing quality and holistic care to patients in IMH, the team is setting their sights on expanding care to suitable mental health patients in the community.
