Meera Patel Case Study

Case 1: Meera Patel

Meera is a 43-year-old woman who had a moderate traumatic brain injury after falling down the stairs at home. Prior to her injury, she was a successful businesswoman with a master's degree inbusiness. She lives with her husband and teenage daughter. Prior to her TBI, she enjoyed cooking and hiking. Meera was discharged from a short acute-based hospital admission as it was deemed that she was functional with her activities of daily living. She attempted to return to work after 3months but was unable to keep up with the demands and felt it was overwhelming. Meera acknowledges some communication difficulties, primarily word finding difficulty. Her husband has contacted your outpatient service for some further treatment and has commented on occasional in appropriate comments.

1. Identify and explain your choice of assessment tools that would be most informative for assessing Meera's cognitive-communication skills
2. • Identify one (1) outcome measure for evaluating Meera's progress and report one (1)advantage and one (1) disadvantage of using this outcome measure
   • Outline one (1) of your activity/participation-level goals for Meera and explain an activity that would suit this goal

Case 2: Leon Fernandez

Leon is a 78-year-old man with suspected dementia. His GP conducted the MMSE, and his score was15/30. Ryan lives in a supported accommodation unit. Ryan is retired now but has a history working as an electrician. Leon also served in the Australian army when he was young. Leon enjoys watching sports, especially cricket. He has a history of receiving psychological support for post-traumatic stress disorder. Leon has a mild bilateral hearing loss. His wife is deceased, but his extended family(sister, children, grandchildren) often come to visit or contact via zoom. Current issues include the family are contacting less frequently and more interactions have been via zoom rather than visiting in person. Leon feels that it is boring in the unit and staff report Leon repeating the same stories over and over. He has been referred to your community service.

1. List the cognitive and linguistic features that you might expect to observe in Leon's case and explain how these cognitive-linguistic features can impact on communication.
2. • Identify one (1) suitable treatment for Leon and provide a rationale for your choice, citing research evidence
   • Leon's carers and family are unsure if speech therapy will improve his prognosis. Outline your response to the carers and family

Case 3: Brian Smith

Brian is a 34-year-old male who sustained a severe TBI from a motorbike accident with no helmet .His initial GCS was 6 and PTA duration was 42 days. Brian is divorced from his wife, and they share caring responsibility for their three children. His ex-wife reports frustration communicating about the children as he doesn't take it seriously. Brian currently lives with his mother, and she is the next of kin. Prior to his injury he was working as a landscaper. He enjoys motorbikes, boating/fishing, playing video games and going for a drink with his mates at the pub. You are working in a subacute setting and will be managing Brian's case. The handover from the acute speech pathologist was that his communication skills were adequate for basic day-to-day ward activities. He tends to talk over and interrupt other people and tends to say more than is necessary. Brian is generally cooperative with therapy tasks but fails to see how the activities will help him.

1. Outline one (1) impairment-level goal for Brian, including your step-up and step-down, and provide a rationale for the selection of this goal, including reference to research evidence
2. • Select one (1) potential activity/participation-based treatment goal for Brian and describe, in lay terms, an activity that will address this goal
   • Explain the potential ways that Brian's communication partners may be able to support his speech pathology rehabilitation, citing research evidence