Texture Modified Diet For Dysphagia Patients

Have you ever swallowed & eaten food “goes down the incorrect way”? For a nearly 15-35% of adults above the age of 55 this is common concern. Dysphagia is easily distinguished as any difficulty or incapability to swallow. It is not a disorder, nevertheless an obstruction of a common process. Issues at any stage while swallowing could outcome in swallowing problem. A patient having dysphagia could have a delayed or incomplete swallowing response. Likely causes comprise impediment, nerve as well as muscle issues and other problems for example trauma, medications, bad dentition as well as bad mouth care. Dysphagia could have a striking influence on an older individual’s nutritional class comprising malnutrition development, unintentional loss of weight, dehydration, and other bodily weakness.

Warning indications of Dysphagia

· Dysphagia at times goes unnoticed since the signs & symptoms might be puzzled with other issues or conditions. Warning indications comprise:

· Coughing, choking, croaky voice, and often throat clearing

· Not full control over head, mouth or tongue

· Trouble chewing, driving food around or pocketing bolus inside the mouth

· Delayed or incomplete swallow reflex

· Issues of food gluing in the throat

In case indications of swallowing issues are recognized, referral must be carried out to the suitable health care expert(s) to screen for dysphagia & evaluate for issues with dentition, pocketing of bolus inside the mouth, liquid pooling, supposed aspiration, risk of unintentional loss of weight & dehydration.

Diagnosis & Treatment

Testing could comprise a FEES testing or fluoroscopic swallowing examination. Diagnosis of the form of dysphagia on the occurring of the issue:

Oral Dysphagia: Trouble doing a swallow because of difficulty swallowing liquids or food, moving food inside the mouth or driving food to the rear of the throat.

Pharyngeal dysphagia: The bolus goes into the larynx because of a delayed swallowing reflex, incomplete larynx closure or remains remaining in the pharynx following the swallow.

Esophageal dysphagia: Food doesn’t drive simply via the esophagus because of esophageal dysmotility, structural hindrance, strictures because of GERD.

As soon as the form of dysphagia is recognized, treatment objectives consist of: making a secure swallow to lessen risk of choking and/or aspiration of food & liquid in the lungs; keeping up fine nutrition status & proper hydration; helping independent eating and drinking; improving the enjoyment of swallowing & life quality.

The doctor and the patient work in unison to find out the most apt strategies to battle this. Customary treatment strategies comprise: swallowing movements and strategies to enhance capability to garner food particles altogether, thermal stimulation, transformations in food/liquid temp, great oral care to lessen aspiration pneumonia, texture modified diet, sipping water while swallowing food, adequate sitting positioning to facilitate swallowing, fine supervising and intervention while meals & snacks, and/or adaptive gear for example modified cups.

Dysphagia patients are more often than not thickened juices recommended by doctors and speech therapists. Thickened liquids aren’t hard to swallow food. Further, they can be purchased easily from the physical market or on the internet and they will be delivered fast.

Related Post: Diet For Dysphagia: Some Do’s And Don’ts!