Therapy for dysphagia online, Australia-wide
Umbo provides speech pathology online, via videolink. We are a registered NDIS provider and can provide services for NDIS participants and private clients.
How can a speech pathologist help with dysphagia?
Dysphagia is an impairment in swallow function causing difficulty with eating and drinking. A speech pathologist can compete assessment to investigate the cause of swallowing difficulty. They can help by tailoring therapy to target your individual needs and goals. This may include strategies to address:
- Coughing when eating or drinking
- Wet/gurgly vocal quality when drinking
- Frequent chest infections.
- Feelings of choking or regurgitation
Can therapy for dysphagia be done online?
Yes, our speech pathologists are able to provide therapy for dysphagia online.
Is online therapy as effective as face-to-face?
Generally, online speech therapy can be as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy. The benefit of online therapy includes reduced wait times, sensory demands (associated with travel, wait-room environment) and opportunities to be assessed in your natural environment. For example, the type of chair you sit on at home (and the support it provides) may result in swallowing difficulties that would not be apparent if your swallowing was assessed in a clinic setting.
What happens during online therapy for dysphagia?
Your speech pathologist will complete an initial consultation to find out how you are going with eating and drinking and what is causing you difficulty. They will complete an online assessment which usually involves asking about your swallowing and observing you eat and drink to identify the areas of difficulty. A speech pathologist may then recommend certain modifications to your current diet and fluids to improve your swallow safety.
Once the area of your swallowing difficulty has been identified, a speech pathologist may recommend certain exercises to improve your swallowing efficiency or strengthen your muscles used for swallowing. Your speech pathologist will create a mealtime management plan with tailored swallowing strategies to enhance your safety when eating and drinking. This management plan may change over time and your speech pathologist will continuously review this plan.
Are there any things that can’t be done online?
A speech pathologist may recommend an instrumental swallowing assessment to further investigate your swallow function. This may include either a videofluroscopy swallowing study (VFSS) or fibreendoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). These assessments can not be completed online and require a referral from your GP. However following these assessments an online speech pathologist can recommend appropriate diet and fluids and swallowing exercises based on the results of this assessment.
We are a registered NDIS provider.
We can provide assessments for new NDIS applications and plan reviews.
Meet some of our therapists
Alisa Lingham
Speech Pathologist
Alisa works with young kids and their families, in Early Childhood Intervention. Alisa helps families tune-in to how their child learns, and to find everyday opportunities for communication. By working in partnership, families help their child to talk, play, sing, read books, and tell stories. Alisa also works with families on goals related to mealtimes, and their child’s eating and drinking skills.
Aaron Puller
Speech Pathologist
Aaron is a compassionate and dedicated speech pathologist with a wealth of experience in swallowing and communication difficulties. He has been practising as a speech pathologist for over 6 years since he received his Masters from University of Queensland and has worked across various settings including hospitals, schools, aged care, and private practice.
Chloe Brown
Speech Pathologist
Chloe is an enthusiastic and passionate speech pathologist who loves working with clients across the continuum of care. Chloe has experience as a generalist therapist with paediatrics and adults in a diverse range of settings. Chloe has a particular interest in neurological conditions and has extensive experience in dysphagia management and working with people with aphasia.
Georgiana Leahy
Speech Pathologist
Georgiana is a caring and passionate speech pathologist who loves to build long term therapeutic relationships with clients and families. She has experience working with both paediatrics and adults as a generalist therapist with a particular focus on early intervention therapies for children with Autism.
What is Umbo?
18 months. That’s how long some families in Australia — particularly those in regional or rural areas — must wait to receive quality speech and occupational therapy.
At Umbo, we aim to start you on our clinical intake process within 1 week of receiving your request for therapy.
Our trained therapists deliver highly effective speech and occupational therapy to anywhere in Australia online, via videolink.
Umbo is a social enterprise and a registered NDIS provider. We also cater to private clients.
“Being introduced to Umbo was a lifesaver”
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Unsure what you need?
No problem, just send us an inquiry explaining the difficulties that you/your child/your family member is having and we can let you know whether a speech pathologist, occupational therapist or other kind of professional would be most appropriate. It’s better to ask and get a clear answer!