What methods may be used to improve swallowing and prevent aspiration in the older adult with dysphagia select all that apply?
DiagnosisYour health care provider will likely ask you for a description and history of your swallowing difficulties, perform a physical examination, and use various tests to find the cause of your swallowing problem. Show
Tests can include:
FEES Swallowing StudyHi, Addie. I'm Carrie. I'm a speech pathologist. I'm going to be helping out with the evaluation today. We're going to be doing a type of swallowing evaluation where we put a camera in your nose. We give you different consistencies of food items to swallow and watch you swallow those. This is the camera we're going to use. It goes in your nose about this far, just a little bit past that white line. There's not much space between your nose and your throat, so it doesn't have to go in very far. We're not in there very long. Just long enough to take a look around at the anatomy, give you a couple of things to eat and drink, watch you swallow those and then we come out, okay. So the different items we're going to be swallowing. We'd like to do an assortment of consistencies, so we do a thin liquid, a puree, and then a solid consistency. I put a little green food coloring in the liquid and the puree that just allows us to see it better when the cameras in place. Okay. Proceduralist: Ready? Assistant: Some slow deep breaths. Carrie: That's the absolute worst part right there. Assistant: Good job. Proceduralist: Can you see? Assistant: Can you see on the TV? Carrie: Only if you want. Proceduralist: We can show you afterwards too. Carrie: Ready for me? Assistant: Take a couple sips of juice. Carrie: Go ahead and take a couple more for me. Good. Assistant: Some applesauce. Carrie: Your other hand. Go ahead and take a bite of one of those. And one more. You can move your head a little bit. All right. That's it. Proceduralist: Are you done? Carrie: I'm done. Proceduralist: On the way out. Perfect. Assistant: You did it! Good job. Note: This content was created prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and does not demonstrate proper pandemic protocols. Please follow all recommended Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for masking and social distancing. TreatmentTreatment for dysphagia depends on the type or cause of your swallowing disorder. Oropharyngeal dysphagiaFor oropharyngeal dysphagia, your health care provider might refer you to a speech or swallowing therapist. Therapy might include:
Esophageal dysphagiaTreatment approaches for esophageal dysphagia might include:
Severe dysphagiaIf difficulty swallowing prevents you from eating and drinking enough and treatment doesn't allow you to swallow safely, your health care provider might recommend a feeding tube. A feeding tube provides nutrients without the need to swallow. SurgerySurgery might be needed to relieve swallowing problems caused by throat narrowing or blockages, including bony outgrowths, vocal cord paralysis, pharyngoesophageal diverticula, GERD and achalasia, or to treat esophageal cancer. Speech and swallowing therapy is usually helpful after surgery. The type of surgical treatment depends on the cause of dysphagia. Some examples are:
Clinical trialsExplore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition. Lifestyle and home remediesIf you have trouble swallowing, be sure to see a health care provider and follow his or her advice. Also, some things you can try to help ease your symptoms include:
Preparing for your appointmentSee your health care provider if you're having problems swallowing. Depending on the suspected cause, your health care provider might refer you to an ear, nose and throat specialist, a doctor who specializes in treating digestive disorders (gastroenterologist), or a doctor who specializes in diseases of the nervous system (neurologist). Here's some information to help you prepare for your appointment. What you can doWhen you make the appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do in advance, such as restrict your diet. Make a list of:
For dysphagia, questions to ask your health care provider include:
What to expect from your doctorYour health care provider is likely to ask you a number of questions, including:
What you can do in the meantimeUntil your appointment, it might help to chew your food more slowly and thoroughly than usual. If you have heartburn or GERD, try eating smaller meals and not eating right before bedtime. Antacids that you can get without a prescription also might help temporarily. Sept. 20, 2022 How do you prevent aspiration when swallowing?Preventing Aspiration
Always chew your food well before swallowing. Eat and drink slowly. Sit up straight when eating or drinking, if you can. If you're eating or drinking in bed, use a wedge pillow to lift yourself up.
How do you help an elderly person swallow?Sitting the person upright in a chair can help direct food away from the airway. Coach your loved one to put a bite of food in his or her mouth, then lower chin to chest before they swallow. This may seem awkward, but it helps block the airway so food goes down the esophagus to the stomach.
How is dysphagia treated in the elderly?Patients can be treated for oropharyngeal dysphagia by using compensatory interventions, including behavioral changes, oral care, dietary modification, or rehabilitative interventions such as exercises and therapeutic oral trials.
How can aspiration be prevented?Allowing patients to eat in a relaxed environment without distractions may be helpful in minimizing aspiration. Patients should also be fed smaller amounts at a time. Patients with difficulty swallowing may need the consistency of their food modified so that it is safer and easier to eat.
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