Breakthrough-Speech

Breakthrough-Speech Providing Speech Therapy to adults in the PNW islands & beyond.

09/02/2026

This is Libby Lewis, speech-language pathologist, continuing her presentation on fatigue and swallow safety for caregivers.

In this clip, she connects two topics that often get treated separately: fatigue and swallowing.

Swallowing isn’t a simple, automatic action — it involves over 30 muscles working in coordination, every single time someone eats or drinks. Now think about how many times that happens during just one meal: chewing, swallowing, chewing again. For some people, that repetition alone can be exhausting.

That’s why it’s worth paying attention not just to if someone can swallow safely, but whether that safety holds up over the course of a full meal. Fatigue can set in partway through — meaning the beginning of a meal might look very different from the end.

Follow along for more helpful tips to help improve the lives of those you care for.

08/31/2026

This is Libby Lewis, speech-language pathologist, continuing her presentation on fatigue and swallow safety for caregivers.

In this clip, she introduces the Boom Bust Cycle — a pattern worth watching for anyone managing fatigue.

On the days someone feels really good, it’s tempting to do everything they used to do. It feels good to feel good. But that burst of activity usually comes at a cost — often 1 to 2 days of recovery afterward.

Once you can anticipate this pattern, you have two options: plan for a lighter “boom,” or plan ahead for the “bust” that’s likely to follow. Either way, seeing it coming makes it easier to manage.

Follow along for more helpful tips to help improve the lives of those you care for.

08/26/2026

This is Libby Lewis, speech-language pathologist, continuing her presentation on fatigue and swallow safety for caregivers.

In this clip, she addresses a common mistake caregivers make with Spoon Theory: assuming.

It’s easy to guess how many spoons a task costs your person, or what activities will help them regain energy — especially once you understand the framework. But those numbers aren’t universal, and they’re not yours to assume.

The most important part of applying Spoon Theory isn’t figuring it out on your own. It’s having the conversation. Ask what a task actually costs them. Ask what genuinely gives them energy back. Their answers might surprise you.

Follow along for more helpful tips to help improve the lives of those you care for.

08/22/2026

This is Libby Lewis, speech-language pathologist, continuing her presentation on fatigue and swallow safety for caregivers.

In this clip, she breaks down the logistics of how Spoon Theory actually works.

Each person starts the day with a set number of spoons. Every task draws from that supply — whether it’s physical, cognitive, or emotional — and the same task can cost different people a different number of spoons. Once the spoons are gone, that energy doesn’t come back until real rest happens.

The most useful part of this framework isn’t just knowing you have limited spoons — it’s learning to identify which specific tasks cost the most, and which activities actually restore them.

Follow along for more helpful tips to help improve the lives of those you care for.

08/20/2026

This is Libby Lewis, speech-language pathologist, continuing her presentation on fatigue and swallow safety for caregivers.

In this clip, she breaks down the three types of fatigue: physical, cognitive, and emotional. Each one shows up differently — and they don’t always happen alone. A hard day physically can drain someone emotionally and make it difficult to perform cognitively.

Follow along for more helpful tips to help improve the lives of those you care for.

One of the best parts of hosting these presentations is hearing directly from the people in the room. Here’s what one at...
08/19/2026

One of the best parts of hosting these presentations is hearing directly from the people in the room. Here’s what one attendee shared after Libby’s recent presentation on Fatigue Management & Swallow Safety:

“Libby Lewis and Breakthrough Speech, LLC hosted a series of free community workshops on July 20, 2026 focused on Fatigue Management & Swallow Safety for care partners, families, healthcare professionals, and anyone interested in supporting others with confidence and compassion.
I had the opportunity to attend one of these workshops, and I’d love to share my experience.

From the moment the presentation began, it was clear that this wasn’t just another lecture. It was a thoughtfully designed, practical learning experience filled with valuable information that people can immediately apply in everyday life.

One of the things I appreciated most was Libby’s ability to explain complex topics in a clear, practical, and easy-to-understand way. She combined evidence-based information with visual examples, real-life situations, and thoughtfully prepared handouts that participants can continue using as a valuable reference.

Every participant left not only with new knowledge but also with practical resources they can continue using long after the presentation.

This presentation offered more than information — it provided practical tools that can help caregivers and families better understand, support, and care for the people they love.

Thank you, Libby Lewis, for your professionalism, your passion for teaching, and your genuine commitment to helping others. Your work is making a meaningful difference in our community.”

Want to bring practical caregiver education to your group or organization? We’d love to create a training tailored to your audience. Message us to learn more.

08/17/2026

Libby Lewis, speech-language pathologist and owner of Breakthrough Speech, shared this concept at her recent workshop on fatigue and swallow safety for caregivers — and it was new information for almost everyone in the room.

Spoon Theory is one of the simplest, most useful ways to understand what limited energy actually feels like — and why some days require different choices than others.

Follow along for more helpful tips to help improve the lives of those you care for.

08/13/2026

This is Libby Lewis, speech-language pathologist, continuing her presentation on fatigue and swallow safety for caregivers.

In this clip, she’s addressing a common misconception: sleep and rest aren’t the same thing.

True rest comes from 2–3 hours of deep REM sleep — not just time spent in bed. Someone can sleep a full night and still wake up exhausted if that sleep isn’t reaching the deeper stages that actually restore the body and brain.

A lot can get in the way of that: medication, what someone eats before bed, urinary issues, snoring, even pets in the bed. Which is why exhaustion can persist even when it looks like someone is “sleeping enough.”

Follow along for more helpful tips to help improve the lives of those you care for.

08/12/2026

This is Libby Lewis, speech-language pathologist, continuing her presentation on fatigue and swallow safety for caregivers.
In this clip, she’s explaining the difference between fatigue and ordinary tiredness.

Fatigue doesn’t stay constant — it can shift day by day, week by week, and even hour by hour depending on what someone is being asked to do or participate in. The timing and severity can change without much warning.

That’s exactly why having a flexible plan — as much as possible — matters so much. It allows you to adjust to your person’s needs as they show up, rather than working from a fixed schedule that doesn’t account for the shift.

Follow along for more helpful tips to help improve the lives of those you care for.

08/11/2026

This is Libby Lewis, speech-language pathologist, during her recent presentation on fatigue and swallow safety for caregivers.

In this clip, she's breaking down cognitive fatigue — the specific type of fatigue speech-language pathologists are trained to assess and treat.

Things that used to be automatic — following a conversation, switching between tasks, finding the right word — start requiring real, conscious effort after a stroke, brain injury, or neurological condition. And that effort adds up over the course of a day.

Understanding what's actually driving that fatigue is the first step to managing it. Follow along for more clips from this presentation.


Address

1809 Commercial Avenue , #206
Anacortes, WA
98221

Telephone

+13602308006

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Breakthrough-Speech posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category