Meet February’s Provider of the Month: Derek Layton
February Provider of the Month
Name: Derek Layton
Type of Professional: Speech-Language Pathologist
Years Using IM: 7
Facility Name: HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Jonesboro
Location: Jonesboro, AR
Populations Served: Inpatient Rehabilitation, Primarily Adults
What made you look into IM?
I was introduced to IM as a graduate student completing a clinical placement at the same HealthSouth for which I’m currently employed. My background is in cognitive psychology and I immediately fell in love with this approach to cognitive and language rehabilitation.
What do you like most about IM?
The two things I like most about IM are its adaptability and its opportunity for collaboration between different therapy disciplines. My lowest level dependent patients to my highest level patients getting ready to discharge home and exercises can be tailored to both utilize their strengths and target their weaknesses. It also provides opportunities to treat patients along with OT or PT to simultaneously target physical and cognitive goals.
What are your thoughts on the IM Universe®?
IM Universe is an improvement from the original in every way. The software is much more user friendly. Adjusting settings is faster which allows for better individualization depending on patient needs and makes integrating IM into the busy in-patient schedule much easier. The addition of the games helps engage patients and sustain their attention. The feature I use most now is the ability to adjust the SRO for each patient. I find that some of my patients get really discouraged if they can’t get “green” despite the fact that their overall accuracy may be quite good. This is also helpful when playing the new games.
Do you incorporate best practices with your IM training?
I try and incorporate Best Practices with IM training with all of my patients. Most of the time these exercises involve tasks targeting their specific deficits. For example, patients might complete rapid automatic naming, singing, true/false judgments, matching, or sequencing tasks while engaged in IM. I also try to incorporate OT and/or PT activities/goals whenever possible.
How do you think the new Fall Risk Reduction Program will benefit your clients at HealthSouth?
The HealthSouth facility where I work recently gained Joint Commission certification in Hip Fracture rehabilitation. Many of the therapists here are hoping to complete the Fall Risk Reduction program to decrease our patent’s likelihood of falling and reinjuring their hips after discharge.
What tips do you have for other IM Providers?
Don’t count any patient out! Almost every patient can benefit from IM if it is structured the right way. Just use your imagination.