Live Event

Ethics and Eating: Closing the Circle of Life

Fri, Sep 26th, 2025

2:15pm – 3:45pm US Eastern Time

Part of: Aging Summit: Knowledge for Care

Conference

Free Live Event! This live event is free for everyone to register!

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Conference Details

Aging Summit: Knowledge for Care

September 25 – 27, 2025 See agenda for times

Up to 17 CE hours available

10 Sessions

About the Event

Swallowing and eating are basic life sustaining functions, yet people know surprisingly little about how swallowing works or why it doesn't, and that treatment may be available. This program provides an overview of the physiology of swallow, underlying etiologies for those experiencing dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), an explanation of which diagnostics to use when, together with intervention strategies. Ethical guidelines informing decisions on care for those who cannot or will not eat are illustrated through case studies, together with an explanation of what actually happens at end of life with regard to swallowing and how to help family and loved ones understand - through careful word choice - and safeguard quality of life for their loved ones. This program will provide those involved in the care management of others with valuable tools to guide them when dysphagia, eating or not eating are issues.

Live Event

This live online event will be held as a Zoom Webinar. Attendees will have the option to interact through features such as the Chat and Q&A, but cameras and microphones will not be enabled.

Live Event Instructor

Susan I Wranik, MS, MA, CCC-SLP

Susan, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, is a national speaker, author, linguist and medical professional passionate about clear communication and quality of life. Initially a translator/interpreter for the Italian Ministry of Defense, she moved to clinical work as a speech-language pathologist.

Career Highlights include: • TEDx talk on THE POWER OF WORDS • Clinical treatment in 6 languages • Communication Clubs for people with Parkinson’s Disease • Pioneered post-stroke rehab dining group • Express Yourself™ aphasia communication group facilitator • Cure PSP support group facilitator • Speech consultant for multiple communities serving neurodivergent adults Publications and Recordings: • DON’T FORGET TO SAY THANK YOU: 20 THOUGHTS TO GUIDE YOU PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY THROUGH LIFE • THE CONFIDENCE QUOTIENT, a recording on women’s communication styles • SUSAN ON SWALLOWING, a training video Education: • BS, MS - Georgetown University - Italian and Linguistics, Italian • MA The George Washington University – Speech-Language Pathology

Media appearances and client list includes ABC, CBS, public radio, the Smithsonian Institute and National Geographic. Susan speaks on a variety of subjects, including aphasia, better brain health, confident communication, dementia, ethics and eating, and celebrating the circle of life. She’s in private practice in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and treats neurogenic communication, cognitive, and swallowing challenges in the adult and older adult population blending linguistic, cultural, and medical expertise to provide comprehensive communication skills enhancement.-

Giving voice to your voice!™

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for an interprofessional audience of healthcare providers, including psychologists, social workers, counselors, MFT's, nurses, medical doctors, and dietitians.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

1 Identify and describe the three primary causes of swallowing difficulties.
2 Describe at least two strategies or interventions used to improve oral intake.
3 Explain the physiology of swallowing and the changes that occur during eating at end of life.

Langmore, S. E., Terpenning, M. S., Schork, A., Chen, Y., Murray, J. T., Lopatin, D., & Loesche, W. J. (1998). Predictors of aspiration pneumonia: how important is dysphagia?. Dysphagia, 13, 69-81. https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00009559

Liantonio, J., Salzman, B., & Snyderman, D. (2014). Preventing aspiration pneumonia by addressing three key risk factors: Dysphagia, poor oral hygiene, and medication use. Ann Longterm Care, 22(10), 42-48.

Lippert, W. C., Chadha, R., & Sweigart, J. R. (2019). Things we do for no reason: the use of thickened liquids in treating hospitalized adult patients with dysphagia. Journal of hospital medicine, 14(5), 315-317. https://doi.org/10.12788/jhm.3141

Massa, L., Fattori, B., Nacci, A., Santoro, A., Palagini, L., Abelli, M., ... & Pini, S. (2022). Psychopathological aspects of dysphagia: a systematic review on correlations with eating disorders and other psychiatric conditions. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 27(3), 881-892. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-021-01227-z

Wallace, E. S., Clayton, N., Freeman-Sanderson, A., & Miles, A. (2025). In the thick of it: A commentary on the strength of evidence for thickened fluids. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(1), 51-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2023.2287429

Yoneyama, T., Yoshida, M., Ohrui, T., Mukaiyama, H., Okamoto, H., Hoshiba, K., ... & Of The Oral Care Working Group, M. (2002). Oral care reduces pneumonia in older patients in nursing homes. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 50(3), 430-433. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1532-5415.2002.50106.x

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Use our CE Approvals tool to look up your state requirements and how can help you meet them, or log in to your member account to show approvals relevant to your licensure.

Event Agenda

Agenda times are listed in US Eastern Time. That is 3 hours later than US Pacific Time. The event starts at 11:15am US Pacific Time.

Policies

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If you need to cancel your registration for a webinar, please contact our support team for assistance prior to the event. Please note our refund policy, above.

If the activity must be cancelled by the provider, all attendees will receive an email notifying them of the cancellation. The email will also provide details about transferring the registration to another educational activity or receiving a refund of the registration fee. As always, you can contact our support team if you have questions or concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you register, you'll receive an email with the link and instructions to join the live event. The event will be hosted via Zoom. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page We recommend logging in 10-15 minutes early to be sure your connection is ready.

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If you need to withdraw 30 or more days before the event, you can do this your self from your current courses tab.