Issue No. 01 · May 2026
Your monthly briefing from your speech pathology team — practical updates on dysphagia care, communication support, and meaningful activity for the residents in your care.
From the desk of
David Barnier
Principal Speech Pathologist
Welcome to our new monthly newsletter — a better way of keeping all our facility managers informed about what's going on across the practice.
Each issue, expect updates on new and updated policies, improvements to our speech pathology services, fresh research worth knowing about, and the general goings-on from our team. Short, useful, and written with you in mind.
Please update your contacts
We're retiring davidb@ironsandcraig.com and moving all referrals and correspondence to our new address. Please update your address books, referral templates, and any saved contacts. Both addresses will continue to work for the next few weeks during the transition.
New — please use
david@endeavourspeechpathology.com
Send a test emailRetiring shortly
davidb@ironsandcraig.com
Still active for a few more weeks while you update your records.
Report Update
If you haven't seen the updates yet — every report we issue now includes a refreshed and expanded communication section, designed to be more useful at the point of care.
Alongside our clinical findings, you'll find clear insights and practical recommendations to help staff support residents living with communication difficulties — from aphasia and dysarthria to cognitive-communication change.
Sample tips for staff
Give time
Pause for at least 10 seconds after asking a question — processing takes longer than you think.
One idea at a time
Keep sentences short and stick to a single topic. Add the next idea once the first lands.
Show & gesture
Point to objects, use facial expression, and offer simple choices visually when words are hard.
Confirm understanding
Reflect back what you heard: "You'd like the tea, not the coffee — is that right?"
06 — In Development
The Seamless Cook is a new platform we're building to support aged care kitchens — bringing menu planning, texture-modified meal management, and chef workflows into one calm, purpose-built tool. It's currently in active development and being trialled by a small number of partner facilities.
Coming soon: built-in catering education and IDDSI training, designed to upskill kitchen teams directly inside the tools they use every day.
Visit The Seamless Cook
07 — Community Program
A program built around the joy of singing — and the surprising clinical benefits that come with it. Through guided choir sessions we support social connection while drawing on speech pathology techniques to strengthen breath support, vocalisation, and articulation.
The 'Not Dead Yet' Choir
Our 'Not Dead Yet' choir at Caroona Yamba brings residents together fortnightly for an hour of song, laughter, and connection. It's a joyful program designed to support social interaction while weaving in speech pathology techniques — using singing to build breath support, vocalisation, and confidence in voice.
New · Intergenerational
We're thrilled to have just started a choir at Palmers Island Primary School, who will be joining the Yamba choir for shared singing sessions — a remarkable intergenerational connection we can't wait to see grow.
Issue No. 01 · May 2026
Our Principal Speech Pathologist, David Barnier, recently spent time in Brisbane at an advanced clinical education program led by Dr Julie Cichero. The training focused on three areas central to safer swallowing care in aged care settings:
EDAR
Eating, Drinking and Risk — a structured framework for thinking about mealtime risk and shared decision making.
Swallowing Medication
Best-practice approaches to medication administration for residents with dysphagia.
Cervical Auscultation
Listening to swallow sounds at the neck to support clinical reasoning at the bedside.
The skills and frameworks David has brought back will directly strengthen the accuracy of our bedside swallowing assessments across partner facilities — supporting earlier identification of dysphagia, more confident clinical decisions, and better outcomes for the residents in your care.
Subscribe to ESP Solutions and get practical updates for your care team delivered monthly — swallowing safety, communication strategies, IDDSI resources, and what's new across the practice.
We read every reply. Whatever's on your mind — a clinical question, an idea for the practice, a moment worth celebrating, or something that isn't quite working — we'd love to hear it.
Ask a question
Clinical queries, IDDSI questions, or anything you'd like clarified for your team.
Email DavidShare an idea
A topic you'd like covered, a resource you wish existed, or a service you'd value.
Email DavidTell a story
A win at a mealtime, a breakthrough conversation, a moment that mattered — share it.
Email DavidReport a bug
Something not working in our reports, resources, or tools? Let us know and we'll fix it.
Email David