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Swallowing it whole: the physical and psychological consequences of dysphagia

Living with dysphagia in the real world can be extremely challenging, both practically and psychologically. Long-term changes in taste due to chemo-radiation treatment for head and neck cancer, fatigue due to Parkinson’s disease, and physically impaired structures due to stroke...

The right to choose: stories from the rare dementias

People with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) experience an insidious onset and gradual decline in language on a background of lesser or no cognitive impairment, hence a language-led dementia. There are three different PPA variants that correspond with three different clinical...

Cochlear implant use in young children

There are clear and well-established links between those identified and fitted with amplification early and good spoken language outcomes, but how much does the time an appropriately fitted hearing instrument is used each day contribute to this? During the first...

Cochlear implants in single sided deafness

Whilst the benefit of a second cochlear implant in people with bilateral deafness is well established, the benefits of implantation for single sided deafness with normal contralateral hearing have been much more modest. The reasons for this are varied, in...

Planning for the long term when working with young people with TBI

Traumatic brain injuries are most common amongst young people and can have long term consequences. The authors of this article provide an approach to management of cognitive and communication difficulties which starts with a detailed assessment using the model of...

Bright young things: executive functioning in younger, older and aphasic people

Executive function comprises several higher order cognitive processes such as planning, organisation, adaptation, maintenance, monitoring and decision making. It is thought that difficulties in cognitive flexibility in people with aphasia are associated with difficulties in executive function rather than the...

Medication and its effect on the larynx

This article summarises different medications and their effect on the voice. A growing number of patients we see in clinic are on multiple medications that could affect vocal cord function. The author summarises different classes of medications and their potential...

Follow-up of NF2 patients with ABRs, SDS and MRI

Hearing loss is one of the earliest manifestations in vestibular schwannomas with 60% of the patients having high frequency loss. Several metabolic and mechanical factors influencing the cochlea and cochlear nerve have been implicated in the hearing decline noted in...

‘Pen’doscope - writing in a reduction in healthcare delivery costs

Optimal management of cleft lip and palate requires a multidisciplinary team approach to treatment, with the goal being maintenance of facial growth and improvement in speech and hearing, in addition to closure of the cleft. This can be especially challenging...

A global survey of tracheostomy healthcare provision and patient participation: requirements for improvement

Patients with tracheostomy require comprehensive care which should begin in the preoperative phase and go through immediate postoperative and discharge phases with patient involvement as well. The authors assessed this with a multicentre, cross-sectional survey using a mailing list held...

How many friends will you have after a TBI?

Friendships are key to reducing stress and improving morale and social support. Loss of friendships after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have a significant impact on these areas of a person’s life. There is little in the research literature...

Information to support decision-making: does it make sense online?

The internet has become a major source for health information, with many people preferring to use the internet to search for advice than speaking to health professionals. Yet much of the information available is very difficult to read for the...