Dementia: cognitive-communication and swallowing roles for SLPs, per ASHA
ASHA’s Practice Portal lists SLP roles in dementia that include “Assessing, diagnosing, and treating cognitive-communication disorders associated with dementia” and “Assessing, diagnosing, and treating dysphagia associated with dementia.” This page quotes ASHA only.
Quoted from official pages checked November 12, 2026. Confirm current information on those sites. This page is not medical advice and does not describe any patient’s care.
Source read on November 12, 2026: ASHA’s Practice Portal page Dementia.
ASHA’s Practice Portal pages are written for clinicians. Quotes below stop before ASHA’s in-text research citations.
What dementia is
ASHA states: “It is characterized by a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive domains that are severe enough to interfere with daily living and independent functioning. Dementia may result from a variety of medical diseases and may be due to more than one disease process.”
Roles for SLPs
Among the roles ASHA lists:
- “Screening individuals with cognitive-communication difficulties and determining the need for further assessment.”
- “Conducting a culturally and linguistically relevant comprehensive assessment of cognitive-communication and swallowing abilities.”
- “Counseling persons with dementia and their families regarding communication and swallowing-related issues as well as providing information about the nature of dementia and its course.”
- “Screening for hearing loss prior to cognitive assessment and referring to an audiologist when appropriate.”
- “Developing treatment plans; providing treatment to maintain cognitive-communication, language, and swallowing abilities at the highest possible level throughout the course of the underlying disease; and documenting treatment outcomes.”
Swallowing care is on swallowing disorders, and nursing home work on working in nursing homes.
What this page does not do
It does not repeat ASHA’s diagnostic criteria, dementia types, or treatment approaches. It is not medical advice and does not recommend any treatment, device, or product. Scope of practice is set by state law; check your state board.