Swallowing Decisions: Where Person-Centered Values Meet Evidence-Based Care

Through real-life case studies, we will discuss the risks associated with common interventions for swallowing disorders. These include long term feeding tubes in the dementia population and use of thickened liquids without instrumental assessment. We will examine how to apply evidence and empathy while supporting others to make informed decisions around swallowing management.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the limitations and potential risks of PEG tube placement and NPO orders in individuals with advanced dementia, and apply evidence-based guidelines to support advocacy for comfort-focused, person-centered care.
2. Examine the clinical risks and common misconceptions surrounding the routine use of thickened liquids without instrumental swallowing assessments, and utilize current research to promote individualized, evidence-based dysphagia management.
3. Demonstrate the ability to apply patient advocacy strategies (e.g., including shared decision-making, teach-back, and motivational interviewing) in simulated or real-world scenarios to improve communication with care teams and families, ensuring patient values and quality of life are prioritized in dysphagia-related decisions.

About The Speaker –

Shlomit Liberty, MS, MA, CCC‑SLP, BCPA owner of Patient Path NYC

Shlomit Liberty is a medical Speech-Language Pathologist turned Board-Certified Independent Patient Advocate.

During her years as a healthcare provider, Shlomit specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of swallowing disorders. Her clinical expertise includes conducting instrumental swallowing evaluations using fluoroscopy and transnasal endoscopy to inform accurate diagnosis and guide treatment planning. She also co-created and presented a foundational training program on Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) with Dysphagia Evaluation Specialists.

Today, Shlomit is the founder of Patient Path NYC, a service dedicated to managing inpatient hospital stays and discharge planning for clients. She is an avid public speaker and offers community education on topics related to navigating hospital stays as well as clinical topics in the field of Speech-Language Pathology.

CEU Information:

Board Certified Patient Advocates (BCPA):

This session is available for BCPA CE Credit.

In order to receive your BCPA 1.0 CE credit as per PACB requirements, you must complete a post-assessment. Instructions for how to access the recording and assessment will be provided via email after completing registration. Certificates will be sent soon after the live event.

Approval Statement: HealthAdvocateX 'Swallowing Decisions: Where Person-Centered Values Meet Evidence-Based Care' is approved for 1.0 General CE by the Patient Advocate Certification Board to satisfy the requirements for Board Certified Patient Advocates (BCPA).

This Continuing Education course is a live, virtual event hosted by HealthAdvocateX. This event will be recorded and made available for on-demand CE credit. You must attend the live event or view the on-demand recording if you are interested in participating and/or obtaining BCPA CE credit.

If you have any questions, please email info@HealthAdvocateX.org