Swallowing, it’s absolutely crucial for survival and problems associated with swallowing are more common than you might think.
Senior speech pathologist Maggy Kinniburgh works at Nepean, Blue Mountains and Springwood Hospitals and more than half of her caseload are people with swallowing difficulties.
A large proportion of people she sees are elderly, who may be having swallowing difficulties related to dementia, stroke, neurosurgery or head or neck cancer.
“With dementia there is a difficulty moving food around the mouth and swallowing and what do do with it,” Miss Kinniburgh said.
She said much of her role involves educating people about what dysphagia – or difficulty swallowing – is, and how to eat and drink safely.
Wednesday, March 15 is Swallowing Awareness Day, and is an opportunity to bring attention to swallowing disorders and to connect people with speech pathologists, who can help.
Speech Pathology Australia estimates around 1 million Australians have difficulty swallowing.
Swallowing problems can mean food, drinks or saliva gets into the lungs (aspiration) and this can cause lung infections (pneumonia).
Severe swallowing complications, including choking, can lead to death, while other swallowing complications can lead to poor nutrition, dehydration, health complications, and social isolation.
Around 15‐30 per cent of people aged 65 and over living in the community have a swallowing difficulty, with that figure rising to over 50 per cent for older Australians living in a nursing home, according to Speech Pathology Australia statistics.
And, after falls, choking is the second biggest killer of nursing home residents.
“Almost half of everyone who has had a stroke will have a swallowing problem,” said Gaenor Dixon, the president of Speech Pathology Australia, the national peak body representing more than 7500 speech pathologists.
“Sixty-nine per cent of people with Parkinson’s disease will have swallowing difficulties, as will 25 per cent of people with multiple sclerosis.
“A swallowing problem can occur at any stage of life.”
Miss Kinniburgh also sees the other end of the age spectrum too – premature babies who have difficulty feeding.