If your speech-language pathologist determined during your evaluation that you have a swallowing impairment that requires treatment, you may need to go for therapy as an outpatient or receive therapy in-home. Your therapy may involve exercises to improve the strength or range of motion of the muscles that are used for swallowing. Many times compensatory strategies such as changes in head posture are taught to help direct food or liquid into the correct path. As a last resort, modification of the consistency of the food or liquid may be recommended to maintain adequate nutrition and hydration safely. This may include using chopped foods, or pureed foods or even thickening liquids. For options in thickening products and ready-to-use foods and liquids for management of swallowing problems you can find the latest products available at www.thickit.com

Caring for the dysphagia patient can be especially challenging. Your speech-language pathologist may have recommended exercises to strengthen the swallowing muscles or to improve the movement. It is important to complete these exercises as directed for maximum improvement. If a recommendation was made to use a strategy to improve swallow function, then it is important to follow this with every swallow. If you have trouble recalling your therapist’s recommendations, be sure to ask for written recommendations to follow at home.

When it comes to food or liquid modifications, your therapist may recommend a specific consistency such as pureed foods or nectar consistency liquids for example. Only your SLP can determine the appropriate consistency for you. For information on how to thicken liquids, you can visit www.thickit.com and click the link for Usage Charts. You can also find links to purchase Thick-It brand beverage thickener and Thick-It canned purees on www. Thickit.com. If you prefer pre-thickened beverages which are available in honey or nectar consistency and ready to use, check out www.aquacareh2o.com.

My name is Chris Wallat, and I am a speech-language pathologist at Precision foods, Inc., the maker of Thick-It Dysphagia products. My role is to help increase the awareness and improve understanding of patients and caregivers alike on the importance of choosing nutritional products that can improve overall safety and outcomes for those suffering with dysphagia.