Resources

Raise your coffee cups this morning! I’m beyond excited to share that I am now a Certified Dementia Care Specialist! This journey and extensive experience in my career has deepened my understanding of what it truly means to support individuals living with dementia not just medically, but emotionally and compassionately. Dementia doesn’t just affect memory; it impacts identity, relationships, and daily life in profound ways.Becoming certified means I’m better equipped to provide care that honors dignity, promotes connection, and improves quality of life for both individuals and

Today’s coffee toast goes out to the Parkinson’s Voice Project. I am pleased to announce my certification as a SPEAK OUT! provider. My goal is to acquire certifications in diverse areas to effectively assist a wide range of patients. This course provided invaluable insights, and I look forward to making a positive impact on the lives of patients dealing with Parkinson’s disease. Let’s raise our cups and acknowledge this outstanding resource!

Today’s coffee toast goes to DSSS for celebrating four incredible years of revolutionizing healthcare! With unwavering faith, we embarked on a journey to redefine the standard of care, prioritizing love, compassion, and patient-centered practices. By rejecting the constraints of insurance-driven healthcare, we’ve empowered patients and caregivers to reclaim their voices and take charge of their well-being. The path hasn’t been without its challenges, but the rewards have been immeasurable. We’ve witnessed transformative recoveries, profound healings, and remarkable progress in patients spanning 18 months to 99 years young! Over these four years, we’ve garnered recognition as Favorite Healthcare Provider, Favorite Speech Clinic, and ranked among the top two for favorite healthcare

Today’s coffee toast honors a remarkable young man who is the definition of resilience! After a traumatic brain injury and a continued grueling recovery journey, he’s made tremendous strides with the unwavering support of his parents, who travel from another state to our center, trusting us with their son’s care. We’re deeply grateful for their trust. Notably, this young man has dramatically improved his eating skills in such a short time with us, progressing from completing a purée meal in 52:18 minutes to finishing the same meal in just 14:53 minutes. As we celebrate his progress, we’re confident he’ll continue to regain his abilities, including speaking and savoring his favorite foods. Let’s raise our cups to toast this courageous young man and his inspiring family. Please pray for

We are so excited to welcome our new Patient Care Manager, Arianna, to our DSSS family! She is going to be an incredible addition to our team and she has such a loving heart for people!

“Hello, my name is Arianna and I am brand new to the DSSS family. I will be serving as your Patient Care Manager in the office. A tidbit about myself: I enjoy traveling and trying different foods as I learn about different cultures, music, art, and history. I’ve been fortunate to participate in a few trips hosting students of lower income families and schools across the world to experience their first out-of-country educational venture, practicing local languages and deepening their world view. In the DSSS family, I know I will continue learning and serving in a loving community. Looking

Today’s coffee toast goes to one of our youngest pediatric clients under 2, whose mom bravely navigated a critical decision between two ENT recommendations for a submucous cleft palate. His mom sought my guidance, torn between tympanostomy tubes and cleft repair surgery. As a mom and a specialist, I understood the weight of this choice. While surgery seemed daunting for such a little one, my expertise in speech and swallowing led me to strongly support cleft repair. Three months post-surgery, the results are remarkable: the toddler now tolerates a variety of solid foods without vomiting or nasal regurgitation. I’ll continue to guide mom through introducing new foods, celebrating this child’s progress toward healthy growth. Kudos to the mom for trusting her instincts and making an

Today’s coffee toast is not a story of a patient I’ve worked with for a long period of time. This is a patient and her mom whom I’ve had the privilege of meeting only twice. Today’s toast is dedicated to the mom, a pillar of strength and resilience. Her daughter is on the spectrum, and from our very first meeting, I saw the depth of her mother’s love, concern, and unwavering determination. After a recent move from up north, her daughter has faced significant challenges, and the mom’s exhaustion is palpable. Yet, what’s striking is the story she shared - a testament to the power of a mother’s love versus the doubts of others.

Despite being told by medical providers that her daughter’s current state is her new norm, this remarkable woman refused to give up. The moment I met

Take a moment to see the good.

This week’s challenge is to utilize this festive word when decorating your Christmas tree: 𝒃𝒂𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆

bau·​ble

ˈbȯ-bəl

1 (British) : a shiny ball that is hung on a Christmas tree as a decoration

Ornaments? Never heard of them. No, our tree is filled with baubles!

Did you know? Being able to access information quickly (i.e. on the Internet) makes you less likely to remember it!

It’s highly convenient being able to access almost any piece of information in a few seconds with a string of typed words. Resources such as Google, Wikipedia, and YouTube have been major players in a revolution of how we find information.

However, studies suggest there is another aspect to being able to access information so conveniently: if the brain knows it can find an answer again so easily, it’s less likely to remember the information

“According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), at least $212 million was stolen through gift card-related scams in 2024”

In some cases, criminals will actually spend the gift cards before they are purchased. They’ll steal cards sitting in store racks, record the numbers and PINs, then reseal and replace the cards. When someone buys and activates the card, they swiftly drain the value. A survey showed that 25% of consumers have either given or received a $0 gift card.

In addition, many scams prefer gift cards as a payment. “Whether pretending to be a seller online or an official notifying you of a supposed debt, they’ll ask you to buy gift cards and read

Today’s coffee toast holds profound significance for me, a heartfelt tribute to a patient who practices Buddhism. Despite our differing faiths, we share a beautiful bond of mutual respect, understanding and a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of love. Love is the very foundation upon which our respective beliefs are built.

Take a moment to see the good.

This weeks word has a classic regional dialect difference : 𝒕𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒈𝒈𝒂𝒏

to·​bog·​gan

tə-ˈbä-gən

1: a long flat-bottomed light sled made usually of thin boards curved up at one end with usually low handrails at the sides

2: a downward course or a sharp decline

3 (chiefly Southern US and Midland US ): stocking cap

Whether you wear your toboggan, or fly down a hill of snow in one, I think we can all

Did you know? Over the past couple of decades, studies have been done on the importance of forgetting. We are often focusing on remembering, but how does forgetting play a role in our memory?

“In a world buzzing with information, it is essential to be able to turn down the noise and discard useless details, so they don’t interfere with access to new learning or ideas. Without our awareness, and particularly during sleep, the brain is constantly sorting out which memories to keep and which can be purged and forgotten. The ability to forget helps us prioritize, think better, make decisions, and be more creative. Normal forgetting, in balance with memory, gives us the

It’s that time of year! One filled with joy, laughter, family, and scams. Wait— scams?! Yes, unfortunately, the holiday season is when scammers ramp up their tactics and frequency.

Be careful when shopping online or buying from places that are not official businesses. Remember that you should choose what type of card you pay with online carefully. Always double check that the adorable gift you are so excited to purchase for a loved one is actually what it’s

THIS IS A BIG ONE! Today’s coffee toast Friday goes out to Hal! When I met Hal, he arrived in a wheelchair. He was very weak and barely said a word. He had a suction machine to manage his secretions and had a feeding tube to sustain nutrition. Hal was diagnosed with a very rare disorder and had some additional setbacks in the hospital/rehab that took a significant toll.

Take a moment to see the good.