What is Dysphagia?: Swallowing Difficulties and Quality of Life
How would your life change if you could no longer enjoy your morning coffee, or share a roast dinner with your family? Swallowing difficulties can be life changing, but the good news is that there are supportive and experienced Speech Pathologists out there who can provide quality individualised support. Our Speech Pathologists can offer clinical and instrumental assessment, evidence-based swallow rehabilitation, personalised compensatory strategies, and/or support your quality of life with comfort feeding care.
Keep on reading to learn more about swallowing difficulties and how to maintain and advocate for your quality of life during your care.
What is Dysphagia?
If swallowing difficulties are new to your life, you may not have come across the term Dysphagia yet. Dysphagia is the clinical terminology used to describe swallowing difficulties. In Australia, over 1 million people have Dysphagia – with the condition impacting people from all walks of life, across the entire lifespan.
Swallowing difficulties can arise as a result of damage to the brain or structures of the head and neck. Almost 50% of people who have had a stroke will develop dysphagia. People with Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neuron Disease, Dementia, and Cancer may also have swallowing problems.
Dysphagia looks different for everyone; with some people experiencing more symptoms or a greater severity of symptoms than others. Here are some common symptoms of Dysphagia:
- Choking when eating or drinking
- Clearing the throat
- Taking more time to chew foods
- Difficulty swallowing dry or chewy foods
- Food being left inside or around the mouth
- Gurgly or wet voice after swallowing
- Drooling or inability to control saliva
- Pain when swallowing
- Fear of swallowing food or drinks
- Sensation of food or medications getting “stuck” in the throat or neck region
- Difficulty triggering or initiating a swallow
- Unexplained weight loss
- Recurring chest infections
- Aspiration Pneumonia
- Becoming fatigued during or after a meal
Dysphagia Rehabilitation and Dysphagia Management
Once you’ve been assessed by a Speech Pathologist and Dysphagia is identified, you’ll begin your journey of Dysphagia management. Your Speech Pathologist may recommend different compensatory strategies and swallow rehabilitation exercises to improve or maintain your swallowing function over time.
Your Dysphagia treatment plan will be unique to you – taking into consideration your diagnosis (whether it is acute or progressive), the symptoms you are facing, and your preferences and goals.
Swallowing Difficulties and Quality of Life
One of the main concerns of people with Dysphagia is how their swallowing difficulties will impact their daily life. Dysphagia is known to have an impact on quality of life – namely because of the way that eating and drinking is so strongly linked to our daily routines and social life.
Here are some key areas where Dysphagia can influence quality of life:
Physical Health
- Malnutrition and Dehydration
- Aspiration and Risk of Pneumonia
- Unintentional Weight Loss
- Choking Hazard (leading to increased fear and anxiety)
Psychosocial Impacts
- Anxiety and Fear
- Social Isolation
- Depression
- Loss of Enjoyment in Food
- Frustration
Impact on Independence
- Reliance on Caregivers for meal preparation
- Feeding assistance and supervision of eating/drinking.
Your Speech Pathologist will work with you to create a mealtime management plan that is tailored to you; taking into consideration your needs, preferences, cultural considerations, safety, and of course, your quality of life. Do not fear – our Speech Pathologists don’t rely on solely modifying your food and fluids to make mealtimes safer. Instead, our team take a holistic approach; working with you and the people in your support team to make mealtimes safe and enjoyable – this may include modifying the environment and your positioning during mealtimes (among other tailored recommendations!).
As part of your Dysphagia management, your Speech Pathologist may discuss different options for managing your swallowing difficulties long-term. This may include acknowledging eating and drinking with risk, or comfort feeding (towards end of life care) with you – also known as eating and drinking for quality of life. This concept describes continuing to eat and drink certain items despite the risks associated due to your swallowing difficulty. For some, this may look like choosing to have your morning coffee when recommended a modified diet of thickened beverages, because of the impact it has on your quality of life.
If you would like to find a local Speech Pathologist to help you in your Dysphagia journey, head over to the Speech Pathology Australia website. If you’re based in Burpengary or North Brisbane, get in touch with us today to find out more about our in-clinic and home visit appointments.