Trainer’s tip: Recognizing the signs and symptoms of dysphagia
LTC Nursing Assistant Trainer, January 27, 2011
If a resident experiences any of the below signs or symptoms, consultation with a speech-language pathologist is needed. He or she will perform diagnostic tests, such as a modified barium swallow. Dysphagia may be treated with a combination of swallowing exercises and techniques and by altering the consistency of food and beverages. The signs and symptoms of dysphagia include:
- Difficulty controlling liquids and secretions in the mouth
- Having a wet or gurgly sounding voice
- Taking a long time to begin a swallow or frequent throat clearing
- Lack of a gag reflex
- Weak cough before, during, or after a swallow
- Pocketing food or needing to swallow three to four times for each bite of food
- A feeling of fullness or tightness in the throat or chest
- A sensation of food sticking in esophagus or sterna area
- Coughing
- Spitting food out or refusing to eat
- Recurrent upper respiratory infections
- Persistent low-grade fever
- Unintentional weight loss
This is an excerpt from the HCPro book, The Long-Term Care Nursing Desk Reference, Second Edition, by Barbara Acello, MS, RN.
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