Did you know that nearly 40% of the elderly suffer from dysphagia? Dysphagia is a condition that makes it difficult for people to swallow correctly, and it can cause them to choke on their food or water. While assisted living in Keeler, TX, communities are prepared for these kinds of emergencies and have other ways of making life easier for residents with dysphagia.
In this post, we’ll discuss why this condition is so common among seniors and how assisted-living communities can help prevent these incidents from happening.
Dietary Modifications
Dietary modifications are an important part of the treatment process. As you know, dysphagia can be caused by a variety of factors, including stroke or dementia. To manage this condition and help your loved one eat safely, you must provide them with a diet that meets their nutritional needs without being difficult to swallow.
Assisted living communities have dietary teams who are trained in making appropriate modifications for residents with dysphagia. These professionals will work closely with you and your loved one’s doctor to determine what foods should be included in their daily meal plan and which must be left out completely!
Prepare Meals That Are Soft And Easily Chewed
Eating is one of life’s pleasures. It’s also a basic need we all share, regardless of age or ability. When dealing with dysphagia, however, eating can be more than just a chore-it can be downright frustrating and embarrassing.
Assisted Living communities employ trained professionals who can assist residents with eating and drinking. The staff is trained in helping residents with dysphagia by providing them with soft foods that can easily be chewed, such as mashed potatoes or oatmeal smoothies.
Screening For Dysphagia
You might be wondering what screening for dysphagia means. In assisted living communities, residents often have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. These conditions can cause problems with eating and drinking, including swallowing issues.
These issues often go unnoticed until it’s too late because many people don’t think about their aging loved ones having difficulty eating food or drinking water on their own. But if you notice signs that your loved one may have a problem with swallowing, such as coughing after eating or drinking, frequent drooling or excessive saliva production (called sialorrhea), choking while eating or drinking-or even pneumonia due to aspirating food into the lungs-you should talk to them about getting checked out by an expert who knows how to diagnose this condition.
Referral To A Medical Specialist
Often, a resident will be referred to a medical specialist if diagnosed with dysphagia. A speech-language pathologist can help you determine what kind of assistance is needed and how best to provide it.
A speech-language pathologist is an expert in diagnosing, treating, and managing communication disorders such as dysphagia. They can examine your loved one to determine whether they have any physical or neurological conditions causing the problem. If so, they can recommend treatment options for those conditions and strategies for managing them at home.
Trained Staff Who Can Help Residents Follow Their Treatment Plan
The caregivers are trained to recognize symptoms of dysphagia and know how to help the resident follow their treatment plan. They can assist with meal preparation, spoon feeding, or drinking from a cup if necessary, or even provide alternative methods of eating and drinking if there is still no improvement after following the treatment plan for some time (for example: using liquids through a straw).
