Communication is not a soft domain in a skilled stay: a resident who cannot make needs known or understand instruction cannot fully participate in rehabilitation, cannot be taught a discharge regimen, and — most dangerously — may be unable to report pain, chest discomfort, or a change in condition, so that a deterioration goes unrecognized. Aphasia and dysarthria after stroke, communication after a tracheostomy or laryngectomy, and cognitive-communication impairment all make the deficit a factor that shapes the skilled trajectory, and building and teaching a reliable communication method is skilled work that enables the rest of the plan.
This module proves, on the days it applies, that skilled observation of a communication change, teaching of a communication method, or management of a plan complicated by the deficit was reasonable, necessary, and part of the daily skilled need under Pub. 100-02 Chapter 8. The communication assessment is the same as in home care; the coverage spine is re-pointed and the Section B linkage added.
