Tag Archive: Melanie Fried-Oken

Calling All PrAACtical Advocates

August 26, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Calling All PrAACtical Advocates

US Colleagues: It’s not too late! We still need your help to tell Congress and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, to stop denying our most vulnerable disabled people their ability to communicate! The initial advocacy effort was effective in delaying the start date for implementation of the proposed changes but more needs to be done.  New to these issues? Check out the post by Bill Binko here. Basically, Medicare has announced several changes to its speech generating device coverage policies that will be devastating to people with complex communication needs.  To protect our clients, we believe the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the most senior official responsible for Medicare policy, must be made aware of the harmful effects of these changes and must be asked to reverse them.  We must speak up now to ensure our clients also will be able to. You can call Medicare directly to... [Read More...]

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Fresh Look at AAC and Dementia with Melanie Fried Oken

May 13, 2013 by - 1 Comment

Fresh Look at AAC and Dementia

We’re thrilled to continue our Fresh Look series in celebration of Better Hearing and Speech Month (#BHSM).  In this post, Dr. Melanie Fried Oken, from the Oregon Health and Science University, talks about some AAC strategies for people with dementia. I was captivated by her 2012 presentation on this topic at ISAAC 2012, and knew it was important to be able to share some of you work with you. We have much to offer these individuals with dementia, and Melanie’s post and linked resources are a great way to get started. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Hey, what about us AAC providers who work with adults? We love reading PrAACtical AAC and can often adjust the tips, equipment recommendations, and strategies to meet our population needs. So when Carole gave me an opportunity to blog about AAC for adults with dementia, I grabbed the chance.  I’d like to share with you some facts about... [Read More...]

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