10 Questions with Robert Melchionna
The speech-language pathologist discusses his beer-brewing hobby, his early days of playing guitar at Boston clubs and what he’s most excited about in November.
Robert Melchionna, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, a Speech-Language Pathologist at Cape Cod Hospital, works with patients who have difficulty swallowing. Melchionna says his patients range in age, but they are typically in their 60s, 70s and 80s. “I just saw a patient who was 92,” says Melchionna. “I have seen people in their 20s and patients over 100.”
The cases range from strokes and head and neck cancer to Parkinson’s disease and dementia. But sometimes simply being elderly and very weak can cause trouble swallowing, says Melchionna. “Nobody ever thinks about their swallowing until something goes wrong.”
A day in the life for Melchionna includes visiting patients at their hospital bedsides, watching them swallow and making recommendations about their diet to help improve their swallow function. “I like the complexity of my job,” says Melchionna, who began his career working with autistic kids. “Everything is like a puzzle. You’re trying to figure out what’s going on and why can’t this person swallow and what can we do to figure it out and fix it. I really like that every day is a little different—we never have the same day twice.”
Melchionna lives with his wife, two teenagers and dog Buddy (a Lab-Rottweiler mix) in Plymouth. We recently caught up with Melchionna at his office at the Medical Center Building on Quinlan Way in Hyannis, where the board-certified speech-language pathologist discussed his beer-brewing hobby, his early days of playing guitar in rock bands in Boston and what he’s most excited about in November.
What was your very first job and what was your big takeaway?
When I was 16, on Saturdays and Sundays in the summer in Waterbury, Connecticut, I worked at an outside space that hosted corporate picnics. I worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., bussing tables, carrying a bucket around picking up people’s trash and bringing it to the dumpster for $3.37 an hour. After that, I worked at Roy Rogers. I flipped burgers, washed dishes and worked the register. It gave me some independence and self-confidence. It showed me if you work hard, you can make money and have fun with it.
What brought you to Cape Cod Healthcare?
While working at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth, I also worked per diem at Cape Cod Hospital, and I really liked it. The former speech team retired in a span of a year and a half, and I had mentioned to Maria, the first speech pathologist, who had been here for 25 years, “If you’re ever looking for someone full time….” She messaged me one day saying she was planning to retire, so I kind of slid into the role. I’ve worked as a speech pathologist for almost 25 years, but I started full time at Cape Cod Healthcare two years ago.
Is there anything you are putting off at the moment?
We are renovating our house—it’s an old house with an odd setup. We plan to turn the office into the bathroom. Right now, the office is full of books and other items and I need to figure out where to put stuff.
Is there anything on the horizon you are most excited about?
I am presenting at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention in New Orleans in November. It’s not something I have done before. I am involved with the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) and I am presenting with some people at the conference, discussing the implementation of IDDSI. Both Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital are transitioning their inpatient diets to IDDSI, effective this month, which helps bring standardization to menus at healthcare facilities. Often when someone has dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), they require a texture-modified diet to make it easier for them to eat.
Do you have a favorite movie?
“The Godfather.” I’ve seen all of them. One and two are really good. Three is OK.
If you could have another career, what would it be?
I would probably brew beer, one of my hobbies. This time of year, I tend to like maltier things. My go-to is an IPA or a farmhouse ale. I started doing this about 25 years ago, in my late 20s in Boston. We moved out of Boston to our house in Plymouth and I hadn’t done it in a while. Then my wife got me a kit about 10 years ago, and I started brewing again.
Do you have a hidden passion?
Before I became a dad, I played guitar in rock bands called Rabadango and The Line in clubs around Boston. We wrote our music. I would be out until 3:30 in the morning. If I could get three hours of sleep, I could work the next day, but I can’t do that anymore!
Do you have a favorite binge TV show?
“Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” Right now, I’m watching “Bad Sisters” on Apple TV.
Where do you like to hang out on the Cape and South Shore?
My parents live in Centerville. I like being in Provincetown, the Outer Cape area. I live in Plymouth and we spend a lot of time on Long Beach. There’s a lot of places to hike in Plymouth—the state park and trails.
If not in Plymouth, where would you live?
My wife and I say if we won the lottery, we would have an apartment in Boston and a house on the Outer Cape. The best of both worlds.
