Conference Faculty Maximizing Functional Outcomes for Patients With Dementia

Michelle S. Bourgeois, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an ASHA Fellow and a professor in the department of communication sciences and disorders at the University of South Florida. She has received numerous grants from the National Institutes of Aging and the Alzheimer's Association to investigate interventions for spousal and nursing home caregivers designed to improve the quality and quantity of communicative interactions with residents with dementia, to evaluate memory aids and interventions for persons with dementia and traumatic brain injury, and to develop training programs for institutional caregivers. A clinical researcher, Bourgeois has published numerous research articles, training manuals and CDs, and books. She was the recipient of the 2007 Barry Reisberg Award for Non-Pharmacologic Research, Theory, and Clinical Practice.

Employee of University of South Florida
Royalties from Health Professions Press, Taylor & Francis, and Center for Applied Research in Dementia
Honorarium and royalties from Northern Speech Services
Consulting fees from Center for Applied Research in Dementia
Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

Member of volunteer review panel for the Alzheimer's Association
Volunteer advisory committee member for Alzheimer Montessori Internationale

Ken Brummel-Smith, MD, is the Charlotte Edwards Maguire Professor in the Department of Geriatrics at the Florida State University College of Medicine. He founded and served as chair of the Department of Geriatrics from 2003 until 2015. He served as chief of the Division of Geriatrics at two medical schools (University of Southern California and Oregon Health Sciences University). He is a co-editor or author of five textbooks and has written numerous book chapters and articles in the areas of geriatrics, ethics, and geriatric rehabilitation. He has been selected 12 times by his peers as a member of the "Best Doctors in America." Brummel-Smith was a member of the National Advisory Council on Aging for the National Institute on Aging. He is a past president of the American Geriatrics Society and a Health and Aging Policy Fellow with the Senate Special Committee on Aging in Washington, DC. He graduated from the University of Southern California School of Medicine, did a residency in family medicine at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, and completed a fellowship in the Department of Medical Education at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. He is board certified in family medicine and has a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatrics.

Financial Disclosures:

Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

No nonfinancial interests to disclose

Valarie B. Fleming, PhD, CCC-SLP, is chair and an associate professor in the department of communication disorders at Texas State University, where she teaches graduate-level courses in adult neurogenic disorders and swallowing disorders. She is the director and principal investigator of the Cognitive-Communication Laboratory (C2L). Fleming completed her doctoral training in neurogenic communication disorders at The University of Texas at Austin. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in speech-language pathology from the University of Memphis and the University of Central Arkansas, respectively. As a certified speech-language pathologist, she has rehabilitative experience with adolescents and adults in acute care, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient settings. Fleming’s research focuses on cognitive and linguistic aging, mild cognitive impairment, and variables influencing access and utilization of health services in culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Her research has been funded by the Alzheimer’s Association, and she has had publications in Aphasiology, Communication Disorders Quarterly, and Seminars in Speech and Language. In addition, she has presented numerous research papers at state and national conferences.

Financial Disclosures:

Employee of Texas State University
Grant funds from Alzheimer's Association
Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

Volunteer grant reviewer for Alzheimer's Association

Tammy Hopper, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and professor in the department of communication disorders, in the faculty of rehabilitation at the University of Alberta. She completed her PhD and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona (with Dr. Kathryn Bayles) and has been conducting grant-funded research with individuals with dementia for almost 20 years. She has more than 50 peer reviewed publications and 80 presentations on the topic of dementia, including a recent systematic review of cognitive-communication interventions for individuals with dementia (sponsored by ASHA’s National Center for Evidence-based Practice). Hopper is actively involved in continuing education initiatives with ASHA.

Financial Disclosures:

Employee of University of Alberta
Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

No nonfinancial interests to disclose

Becky Khayum, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and co-founder of MemoryCare Corporation, a company that provides therapy, support, and counseling for individuals with neurodegenerative disease in the Chicago and Indianapolis areas. She specializes in the non-pharmacological treatment of dementia syndromes, with a focus on person-centered care. Khayum also participates in research targeting treatment approaches for Primary Progressive Aphasia and is currently collaborating with the Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center on the Communication Bridge Study, an Internet-based speech-language therapy program for individuals with dementia. Khayum holds an MS degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Arizona and a BS degree in communication disorders from Purdue University.

Financial Disclosures:

Owner of MemoryCare Corporation
Consulting fees from Northwestern CNADC
Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

No nonfinancial interests to disclose

Renee Kinder, MS, CCC-SLP, currently serves as a clinical specialist for Evergreen Rehabilitation, where she provides education and training programs for interdisciplinary team members related to Medicare regulations, documentation requirements, and evidence-based practice patterns. She is currently vice president of healthcare for the Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association, acts as an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Association, has provided caregiver trainings for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, and is a member of community faculty for the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Kinder is a member of ASHA’s Healthcare and Economics Committee and maintains active membership in ASHA Special Interest Groups for Swallowing (13), Neurology (2), and Gerontology (15), where she is currently the editor of Perspectives on Gerontology.

Financial Disclosures:

Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

No nonfinancial interests to disclose

Darby Morhardt, PhD, LCSW, is an associate professor and Director of Education for the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Morhardt holds a PhD in social work from Loyola University Chicago. She also completed post-graduate work in family therapy at University of Illinois at Chicago. Morhardt has 30 years of clinical experience with cognitively impaired individuals and their families. Her research interests include the experience of families living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias such as frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia; the process of tailoring care to needs and symptoms; and the development and evaluation of quality-of-life programs, support groups, and other therapies. Morhardt also partners with underrepresented communities to raise awareness regarding dementia, identify service and education needs, and promote research participation with the goal of improving health outcomes for persons with dementia and their families.

Financial Disclosures:

Employee of Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Grant funding from NIA/NIH
Honoraria from various organizations for teaching CE courses, workshops, and seminars
Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

Peer reviewer for various journals

Emily Rogalski, PhD, is an associate professor and director of neuroimaging for the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Her research falls under the broad umbrella of aging and dementia and uses a multimodal approach to investigate two aging perspectives: primary progressive aphasia (PPA), in which neurodegenerative disease invades the language network, and SuperAging, in which individuals are seemingly resistant to the deleterious changes in memory associated with "normal" or more typical cognitive aging. While structural neuroimaging is her primary method of investigation, it is not the only tool she uses. Her work strives to define the clinical and anatomical features of different dementia syndromes as well as identifying genetic, developmental, and acquired factors in aging and dementia. These investigations have provided new fundamental knowledge with translational implications for cognitive aging, dementia, and neurodegenerative disease as well as the cognitive neuroscience of language and memory. Rogalski has also developed educational programs, the first PPA support group, and, more recently, the Communication Bridge Internet-based speech-language therapy program to improve quality of life for individuals with a diagnosis of dementia. She has a successful history of foundation and NIH funding including R01s from the NINDS and NIA.

Financial Disclosures:

Employee of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Grants from NINDS, Alzheimer's Association, NIDCD, and AFTD
Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

No nonfinancial interests to disclose

Yvonne Rogalski, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor in the department of speech-language pathology and audiology at Ithaca College, where she teaches courses about acquired communication disorders such as aphasia, dementia, and right hemisphere and motor speech disorders. She also supervises graduate students during their clinical practicum assignments, one of which is a dementia group in which participants focus on social engagement through baking and activities that are creative and cognitively stimulating. Her research interests include discourse, memory, and cognition in normal aging and adults with neurogenic communication disorders. In the past few years, she has partnered with audiologist Amy Rominger to investigate the impact of hearing loss on cognition and memory in healthy older adults. Together, they are interested in combining their expertise to find ways to mitigate the problems associated with hearing loss and cognitive decline in aging.

Financial Disclosures:

Employee of Ithaca College
Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

No nonfinancial interests to disclose

Amy Rominger, AuD, CCC-A, is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at Ithaca College. She teaches courses in basic audiology, aural rehabilitation, and hearing loss in the elderly. Additionally, she supervises undergraduate and graduate SLP students in the on-campus hearing clinic and at off-site hearing screening programs. She participates in community outreach through numerous health fairs and lectures, most often addressing the topic of hearing loss and aging. Her professional interests include collaborating with speech-language pathologists, specifically her colleague Yvonne Rogalski, in researching and implementing techniques to facilitate interpersonal communication, cognitive health, and aural rehabilitation of older adults with hearing loss.

Financial Disclosures:

Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
Employee of Ithaca College

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

No nonfinancial interests to disclose

Michelle Tristani, MS, CCC-SLP, has provided speech-language pathology services for 24 years across adult and geriatric settings from acute care to skilled nursing to outpatient. Tristani specializes in progressive neurological diagnoses, specifically Alzheimer’s and related dementias. She is a dynamic speaker delivering a wide scope of trainings on topics including cognitive disorders; dysphagia in people with dementia; medical errors and ethics; and management of the pulmonary, medically complex, and palliative care patient populations.

Financial Disclosures:

Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

Volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association
Member and on Coordinating Committee of ASHA SIG 15

Lynne Brady Wagner, MA, CCC-SLP, is the program director of stroke rehabilitation and the chair of the Ethics Advisory Committee at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. After earning a master's degree in speech-language pathology from Saint Louis University, Wagner began her career in Chicago and worked at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), where she became the resource clinician for adult dysphagia. She has a graduate certificate in Health Care Ethics from Rush University Medical School and was the first Disability Ethics Fellow at RIC and the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. She is a former member of ASHA’s Board of Ethics and in the past has been the ethics column editor for the Special Interest Group 13 (Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders) Perspectives. She currently serves as the coordinator of the Coordinating Committee for SIG 13 and is an instructor at the MGH Institute for Health Professions, where she teaches healthcare ethics.