Speech students work with Senior Day Services guests

Each semester, Allison Mezo, Aphasia Communication Enhancement Speech Clinician at the Western Michigan University Unified Clinics assigns four speech-language pathology students to provide communication support at WMU's Senior Day Services. Students visit participants with cognitive or intellectual impairments each Friday morning throughout the semester.

According to alzheimers.org, difficulties in communicating and using language affect a large number of people living with dementia. In particular, they may have trouble finding certain words such as day to day object names and personally important words such as family names. This makes it harder for them to get involved in conversation and be able to socialize. The goal at Senior Day Services is to have the speech students initiate and support conversation through gestures or visual cues, engage in interprofessional education and collaborate to lead small group activities. Students are also learning about Alzheimer's and other dementias and to facilitate educational experiences with program staff, caregivers, spouses and families.